McVey’s parting shot at £39bn bill

eSTheR McVey accused Theresa May of handing £39billion to Brussels with nothing in return as she quit.

in a fiery resignation letter, she warned the Prime Minister that her Brexit deal ‘does not honour the result of the referendum’.

The Work and Pensions Secretary’s resignation yesterday morning came just hours after she came close to tears in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening as she unsuccessfully tried to force a vote on the proposals.

Miss McVey in her letter raised concerns over the future of the Union and a lack of control over money, law, borders and trade policy under a deal she felt kept the UK too close to Brussels.

‘The British people have always been ahead of politicians on this issue, and it will be no good trying to pretend to them that this deal honours the result of the referendum when…it doesn’t,’ she wrote.

‘We have gone from no deal is better than a bad deal, to any deal is better than no deal.

‘i cannot defend this, and i cannot vote for this deal. i could not look my constituents in the eye were i to do that.’

She added: ‘The deal you put before the cabinet yesterday does not honour the result of the referendum. indeed, it doesn’t meet the tests you set from the outset of your premiership.

‘Repeatedly you have said that we must regain control of our money, our borders and our laws and develop our own independent trade policy. i have always supported you to deliver on those objectives. even after chequers when you knew i shared the concerns of a very significant number of colleagues.’

She added: ‘The proposals put before cabinet, which will soon be judged by the entire country, means handing over around £39billion to the eU without anything in return.’

Miss McVey had been on Downing Street’s ‘resignation watch’ for the past few months, after she repeatedly refused to publicly endorse Mrs May’s Brexit plan when it was agreed at chequers in July.

The 51-year-old, who found fame as a GMTV presenter in the 1990s before turning to politics, has been one of the party’s strongest media performers.