May faces mutiny as summit looms
THERESA May faces a potential Tory mutiny over Brexit as talks continued in Brussels to reach a deal ahead of a crunch summit.
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and the European Union’s Michel Barnier held talks yesterday ahead of the meeting of EU leaders on Wednesday.
The news came as former Brexit secretary David Davis urged a Cabinet revolt against the Prime Minister’s strategy.
Tory MP Nadine Dorries suggested that Mr Davis should be installed as interim leader, claiming that was the only way to secure the kind of free-trade deal Brexit demanded by Eurosceptics.
Allies of Mr Davis said he has been contacted by several Tory MPS urging him to run for the leadership.
The announcement of Mr Raab and Mr Barnier’s talks yesterday fuelled speculation that a deal may be close – potentially leading to a flashpoint for Mrs May’s premiership.
But the talks failed to resolve key issues, including the Irish border question, Mr Barnier said, “despite intense efforts” over the course of an hour.
The issue of the Northern Irish backstop – a mechanism to avoid a hard border – is at the heart of the troubles facing Mrs May’s leadership.
The European Union’s version of the backstop, which would see just Northern Ireland remain aligned with Brussels’ rules, has been called unacceptable by Mrs May and is loathed by the DUP.
Mrs May’s counter-proposal is for a “temporary customs arrangement” for the whole UK, but Tory Brexiteers fear this becoming an open-ended position which would prevent free trade deals abroad.
Cabinet minister Matt Hancock sought to play down speculation that some of his colleagues might quit over the Brexit plans, but was unable to say whether a fixed deadline for any customs arrangement would be written into a deal with Brussels.
He told the BBC’S The Andrew Marr Show: “There are different ways that you can make sure that something is credibly time limited and that’s what I want to see.”
Tory vice chairman James Cleverly told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday show Cabinet ministers should use their position to influence policy rather than resign.
Speculation about possible resignations has centred on Andrea Leadsom, Penny Mordaunt and Esther Mcvey, but a report also indicated that Scottish Secretary David Mundell and Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson could quit because of the sensitivity of the issue in relation to calls for Scottish independence.
Mrs May’s own position also appeared in jeopardy, with as many as 44 letters demanding a vote of no confidence reportedly submitted to the Conservative 1922 Committee – just four short of the number required to trigger a ballot.
The Northern Irish situation is problematic for Mrs May because her administration depends on the votes of 10 DUP MPS.