New Brexit secretary under fire for his anti-feminist remarks

New Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has been in hot water over comments about foodbank users, “obnoxious bigotry” from feminists and public spending levels in Scotland.

The Surrey MP moves into the British cabinet after spells in government in charge of justice and housing.

But some of his comments on issues such as foodbanks and healthcare cuts have sparked anger.

In May last year, Mr Raab told the BBC: “The typical user of a foodbank is not someone who’s languishing in poverty, it’s someone who has a cash flow problem.”

In another election debate an Aberdeen disability rights campaigner told him “people are dying” because of his party’s cuts to health and social care.

Responding, Mr Raab, who represents Esher and Walton and is a black belt in karate, said demands for extra cash are “just a childish wish list”.

In a controversial article for the Politics Home website from 2011, Mr Raab referred to men getting a “raw deal”, adding: “Feminists are now amongst the most obnoxious bigots.”

In the wake of the 2014 referendum, the former lawyer said the Barnett Formula, which determines how much public money from Westminster is distributed to Scotland, is “massively prejudicial” against other parts of the UK. The formula is designed to take account of the increased cost of delivering public services to isolated Scots communities.

SNP MSP Linda Fabiani said: “Just when it seemed the Tories’ hard Brexit couldn’t get any worse, they’ve decided to appoint one of the most hard-right, toxic voices in their party as the lead negotiator.”

Theresa May must have known her new plan for Brexit would go down like a lead balloon with the Eurosceptics in her cabinet.

It was a gamble – brought on by the necessity of securing a breakthrough in negotiations with the EU – that backfired spectacularly when she suffered two “big beast” resignations within 24 hours.

Even in the context of the prime minister’s torrid year, it is hard to see how she can recover.

She has a few options, but all of them have potentially fatal consequences for her premiership.

She could redraw her Brexit strategy to appease the Leavers, although it is difficult to see how she would retain any credibility from such a humiliating U-turn.

Secondly, she could plough on with the plan and hope her MPs decide against staging a coup, for fear it would set the hare running for a Jeremy Corbyn government. Or she could call a general election, championing her new Brexit strategy.

That seems an unlikely option given the very real prospect it would lead to the downfall of the Conservative government.

Mrs May could of course fall on her own sword, especially if it looks likely her MPs will go for regicide.

Only 48 rebels on the Tory benches are needed to spark a vote of no confidence.

However, many of those will be loathe to pull the trigger on what could bring down their own government.

What may save the Tory leader, at least in the short term, is that she has left it so late to show her hand on her preferred Brexit.

There are three months left until a final EU-UK deal is to be concluded. That is not enough time to have both a leadership contest and keep to the Brexit timetable.

The opposition benches might offer her the best hope of survival, if they endorse her new softer Brexit plan.

However, they are unlikely to be in a charitable mood, even if the tone of the strategy is more palatable to the Remain-voting Commons majority.

A white paper on the details of the Brexit strategy will shed more light on the way forward. It may come too late for a PM who is as low on credibility as she is on support.

Dominic Raab – comments have sparked anger.