Raab accused of resigning in bid to succeed May
DOMINIC Raab sensationally walked out on Government yesterday with a withering blast at Theresa May’s Brexit deal – despite spending months involved in negotiations.
He quit as Brexit Secretary in dismay at ‘fatal flaws’ in Britain’s draft withdrawal agreement with the EU.
But it led to accusations that he was manoeuvring for a leadership bid.
Mr Raab is said to believe he was blindsided by the final Brexit deal, and that it had been changed when it was shown to the Cabinet on Wednesday.
Sources said he was thrown by a new commitment that said the backstop arrangement – a hybrid of the customs union and single market – would be the starting point for negotiations on the future EU-UK trade relationship
The Leave campaigner yesterday urged the Prime Minister to go back to Brussels with a ‘best, final offer’. Mr Raab – seen as a potential future leader – became the most high-profile minister to quit the Government. His decision, announced just before 9am, piled pressure on Mrs May. He was blasted by a Cabinet colleague who branded him a ‘carpet-bagger’ – a derogatory term for someone who takes advantage of a situation.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said Mr Raab’s resignation was about ‘manoeuvring and leadership’.
He was also criticised by Remain-supporting Tory MP Anna Soubry, who said on Twitter that his treatment of the Prime Minister had been ‘shameful’. She said: ‘Raab signed up to her Withdrawal Agreement allowing her to make her statement after Cabinet knowing he’d resign in time for the 9am News bulletins the next morning.’
In his letter to Mrs May, Mr Raab said the proposals on Northern Ireland threatened the integrity of the UK and Britain would be locked indefinitely into a customs union ‘backstop’ with no say on the rules and no exit mechanism.
He wrote: ‘No democratic nation has ever signed up to be bound by such an extensive regime, imposed externally without any democratic control over the laws to be applied, nor the ability to decide to exit the arrangement.’ He added: ‘I cannot in good conscience support the terms proposed for our deal with the EU.’
He claimed the deal would damage both the economy and public trust. Sources said he was thrown by a new commitment that said the backstop arrangement could work as a model for the future trade deal. ‘Everyone was shocked,’ said the source. ‘He asked “Who mandated this?” but there wasn’t an answer.’
Following the five-hour Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Mr Raab took Chief Whip Julian Smith in a side-room and said that he could not sign up to the ‘indefensible’ deal and would have to resign.
It threw plans into chaos because a private aircraft had been chartered to fly him to Brussels for a joint celebratory announcement with EU negotiator Michel Barnier.
Mr Raab told the BBC yesterday: ‘I’ve been fighting for a good Brexit deal but the terms proposed had two major and fatal flaws. The first is that the terms threaten the integrity of the United Kingdom and the second is they would lead to an indefinite if not permanent situation where we’re locked into a regime with no say over the rules, with no exit mechanism.’
In a later interview, Mr Raab said Mrs May had to ‘change course’ to get the deal past Parliament. He added: ‘We need to go back to Brussels and make a best, final offer. I think we can do a deal with our EU partners but at the same time we must be willing to show some resolve to walk away. That would cause short-term disruption but we can manage it.’
Mr Raab became the second Brexit Secretary to quit in four months. He had been promoted to the Cabinet to replace David Davis, who stepped down in protest at Mrs May’s Chequers plan.
‘We have to change course’