Nick Timothy: a wake-up call for Tory MPS

The well-funded and elitist campaign to stop Brexit should be a wake-up call for all Tory MPS

‘The time is now,” said Lord Malloch-brown, the former Labour minister, as he concluded his presentation. But he had misjudged his audience. The Conservative Party donors he was addressing had little interest in his proposal: a plan to stop Brexit by bringing down the Government.

Malloch-brown’s presentation – made on Monday last week, at dinner at George Soros’s house in Chelsea – described the strategy for Best for Britain, the campaign group he runs, which was established by Gina Miller to fight Brexit. Their campaign, due to launch at the end of this month, will be funded by Soros, the billionaire investor; Stephen Peel, a private equity investor; and others.

It will begin with an advertising blitz targeting younger voters, and continue with traditional and social media campaigning. There are plans for “guerrilla marketing tactics”, as well as “youth-focused” concerts and marches. There is a proposed partnership with trade unions, employer bodies, youth groups and consumer organisations. These groups will adopt seemingly independent public positions opposing the Government’s Brexit plans, but Best for Britain will provide them with “strategic, messaging, creative, social media and critically financial support”.

The objective is to convince MPS to vote against the deal Theresa May negotiates with Brussels, regardless of its content and despite the risk that doing so could mean Britain leaves the EU with no alternative agreement in place. Malloch-brown and his backers believe that, if Parliament rejects the Brexit deal, the Government will fall, and Brexit can then be stopped.

A strategy paper seen by several guests at the dinner declared: “We must win the meaningful vote that Mrs May has promised… That is likely to trigger a new referendum, or election. We must prevail decisively, so reassuring Europe that our return will be permanent.” Those present were left in no doubt, however: the intention is to topple the Government. In fact, Malloch-brown has speculated before, and in public, about stopping Brexit by forcing another “election or referendum, or a change of government without an election, or a change of prime minister”.

The campaign strategy begs all sorts of questions, and of many people. Will Best for Britain be transparent about its objectives and methods? Will it publish its financial arrangements, including not only its own donors but the funds it transfers to other, supposedly independent, organisations? How involved with this campaign are groups like the CBI and the TUC? Have they agreed to cooperate with Best for Britain? Will they receive financial support or other assistance from it?

According to the campaign strategy paper, Andrew Adonis is involved in Best for Britain’s plan. Was his resignation from the National Infrastructure Commission coordinated with the Best for Britain campaign? Alan Milburn, Tony Blair’s former health secretary, is a former Best for Britain board member. Did he discuss his resignation from the Social Mobility Commission with anybody from the campaign?

Malloch-brown wants to coordinate Best for Britain’s activity with the European Movement. Do Tories connected to the European Movement, such as Ken Clarke, support the aim to bring down the Government at the risk of Jeremy Corbyn getting into power? What contact has there been between Tory MPS and Best for Britain? Did those who rebelled against the Government to support a “meaningful vote” on the final deal have any contact with the campaign?

Best for Britain, the European Movement, Vote Leave Watch and Open Britain provide the secretariat for the All-party Parliamentary Group on EU Relations. This is co-chaired by Chuka Umunna, the Labour MP, and Anna Soubry, a Conservative. Does Soubry think it is appropriate for a Tory MP to chair an all-party group whose secretariat is provided by an organisation that wants to bring down a Tory government? Does she agree with Best for Britain that MPS should vote against the Brexit deal, regardless of its content? And has she discussed her amendment proposing continued membership of the customs union with anyone linked to Best for Britain?

These questions must be answered, but this elitist campaign is deeply flawed anyway. First, public opinion remains consistent: there has been no sudden movement against Brexit, despite an ongoing campaign against it and criticism of the Government’s negotiating position. Secondly, if MPS vote against the deal the Prime Minister negotiates with Brussels, the alternative will be a disorderly Brexit, since it is a matter of international law that, deal or no deal, Britain will leave the EU in March next year. And thirdly, the election of Corbyn is a far worse prospect for the economy than Britain leaving the EU.

This should be obvious to Tory MPS. Malloch-brown’s strategy paper says he wants to “wake the country up”. His campaign is indeed a wake-up call: however Tory MPS feel about Brexit, voting against the Government when the deal is done risks something much, much worse.