Mutiny in the Commons as May sets sail for key Brussels talks
Conservative rebels win battle for ‘meaningful’ vote on leaving EU in embarrassment to Government
THERESA MAY last night suffered a major Conservative mutiny against her Brexit plans after 11 of her own MPS refused to back the Government and boasted that Parliament had “taken control”.
The Prime Minister lost a key vote in the Commons despite senior Conservatives pleading with the self-styled “rebel alliance” to back Mrs May or risk a disorderly Brexit.
Following chaotic scenes in Parliament, the rebels defied their party by voting through an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill demanding a “meaningful” vote on Brexit. In a sign of the ongoing bitter recriminations, one of those behind the mutiny was last night sacked as vice-chairman of the Conservative Party.
The disunity in her party threatened to undermine Mrs May on the eve of a crucial Brussels summit at which she is hoping to receive backing from other European leaders to move on Brexit talks to begin discussing trade. Whitehall sources fear that some European politicians may seek to use the problems faced by the Prime Minister in Parliament to secure further concessions or legal guarantees.
Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, last night hailed the Government’s defeat as a “good day for democracy”.
He said: “British Parliament takes back control. European and British Parliament together will decide on the final agreement. Interests of the citizens will prevail over narrow party politics. A good day for democracy.”
The dispute arose over the status of the vote on the Brexit deal before March 2019, which the rebels had insisted must be guaranteed in law.
Ministers had pledged to give Parliament a proper vote but warned that the rebel amendment demanding that a “meaningful vote” should be enshrined in law risked derailing a “smooth and orderly” Brexit.
What had been seen as a technical row yesterday erupted into a major political embarrassment for No 10.
Last night, Brexit-supporting Conservative MPS rounded on their colleagues – who were led by former ministers Dominic Grieve, Anna Soubry, Ken Clarke and Nicky Morgan – warning that they had undermined Brexit and boosted Labour’s chances at the next election.
Nadine Dorries said: “Tonight, the Tory rebels have put a spring in Labour’s step, given them a taste of winning, guaranteed the party a weekend of bad press, undermined the Prime Minister and devalued her impact in Brussels.
“They should be deselected and never allowed to stand as a Tory MP, ever again. I’ve been a rebel myself, but never when a Marxist government was knocking at the door.”
Michael Fabricant, another Tory MP, said: “Labour’s cheers in the Chamber should have been cause for deep reflection by the likes of Anna Soubry and Dominic Grieve. A shallow victory for the Remainers, but a victory for Labour morale and polling.”
Stephen Hammond, who was sacked as Conservative vice-chairman last night, was one of 11 Tory MPS including Sir Oliver Heald, Bob Neill, Antoinette Sandbach, Sarah Wollaston, and Jonathan Djanogly who joined Labour, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats in the anti-brexit move.
The Government said it was “disappointed” and senior Conservatives raised concerns the vote could be used to frustrate or block Brexit entirely.
Labour MPS punched the air in jubilation as the result of the vote was announced, while Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said that the result was “humiliating” for Mrs May.
The rebels accused the Government of being “stupid” for failing to make
more concessions ahead of the vote as they vowed to defeat the Government again next week in a rebellion on plans to enshrine the date of Brexit in law.
Ms Soubry, a former business minister, said: “It was a stupid fight the Government fought and they fought it very badly.” Ms Morgan, an ex-education secretary, said: “Tonight Parliament took control of the EU withdrawal process.”
Mr Grieve, the Tory MP and former attorney general who made the amendment, said: “There’s a time for everybody to stand up and be counted.
“As Churchill said, he’s a good party man, he puts the party before himself and the country before his party.”
The Government had made a series of last-minute climbdowns in a bid to appease rebels. At 5.30am David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, sent Tory MPS a letter promising Parliament a vote on the Brexit deal “as soon as possible”.
Throughout the day the Prime Minister called the rebels into Downing Street one by one in an attempt to win them over. Less than half an hour before the vote Dominic Raab, the justice minister, pledged to commit to a meaningful vote at the next stage of the EU Withdrawal Bill. However, Mr Grieve said that the climbdown was “too late”.
It came after a day of extraordinary clashes between the Government and rebel Tory MPS. Julian Smith, the Chief Whip, threatened to sue pro-european MPS for defamation as he strongly denied claims that he had “bullied” a female MP and reduced her to tears.
Tory MPS also clashed in the Commons where one pro-brexit MP was heckled by rebel Tories and told to “sit down” as he made an intervention.
Philip Davies, a Brexit-supporting MP, said: “The problem with (Mr Grieve’s) amendment is it could be, and no doubt is designed to be, used to try to overturn and frustrate that meaningful vote… it’s a shame he hasn’t got the courage of his convictions to admit that that’s what his game is.”