Brexiteer plotters fail to light the fuse

May faces down Eurosceptics as rebels fall short of 48 letters for no-confidence vote

TORY Eurosceptics last night admitted an attempt to unseat Theresa May had stalled, as bitter in-fighting broke out among Brexiteers.

Despite the confident predictions of the rebels that a vote of no confidence would be held as soon as today, the extra letters from Conservative MPS needed to bring about a ballot had failed to materialise.

The confidence vote now appears to be on hold until after Parliament votes next month on Mrs May’s Brexit deal, which will itself be seen as a referendum on her leadership.

The Prime Minister also faced down Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson in Downing Street hours after the socalled “gang of five” senior Brexiteer Cabinet ministers, who had threatened to make life difficult for her unless she agreed to renegotiate her deal, disbanded before they had even met.

She was applauded by business leaders at the CBI’S annual conference and could go to Brussels as early as today to agree the direction of future trade talks with the EU before the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement is signed off by EU leaders on Sunday.

One senior Brexiteer said: “Today was supposed to be the day we finally got the 48 letters needed to force a noconfidence vote but some people didn’t turn up to be counted.

“There is a lot of frustration, especially with some of the big names who haven’t yet put letters in.”

It was not all good news for Mrs May as the DUP, on whose 10 MPS she relies for her parliamentary majority, last night voted against the Government in a Budget motion, sending her a stark message that she must act on their concerns over Brexit. It threw into doubt the future of the confidence and supply deal with the DUP, which could hugely undermine her authority and prompt wavering Eurosceptic MPS to put in letters against Mrs May.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson held a meeting with Jacob Rees-mogg and Simon Clarke, a fellow Brexiteer, increasing speculation that he was rallying support ahead of a potential leadership bid. Johnny Mercer, the backbench Tory MP who has expressed disillusionment with Mrs May, was also present. The members of the European Research Group of Tory Eurosceptics had insisted last week that yesterday would be the day that the 48-letter threshold to force a no-confidence vote would be crossed.

Mr Clarke, one of 26 MPS who publicly admitted to submitting letters, said early yesterday that Mrs May was facing a crucial day, but his Brexiteer colleagues sat on their hands and Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPS, did not receive the required 48 letters.

Senior Leave-supporting MPS conceded that many colleagues were setting their sights on the parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal next month, in the belief that Mrs May would be more likely to lose a confidence vote if she had already suffered a defeat on Brexit. But a senior Eurosceptic source said: “Many people are saying that the meaningful vote is the right time to put in letters.” Steve Baker, a leading Eurosceptic MP, added: “Anyone who thinks that the moment of danger has passed has succumbed to spin. This is a process, not a moment.”

The so-called “gang of five” – Michael Gove, Andrea Leadsom, Chris Grayling, Liam Fox and Penny Mordaunt – reportedly called off a meeting yesterday as they had not agreed a strategy over key elements of the Withdrawal Agreement.

And last night, David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, called on Mrs May to cancel her visits to Brussels and hold the “meaningful vote” on the deal before it was signed off by the EU.

BRITAIN could remain tied to the EU until the end of 2022 after Theresa May refused to rule out a two-year extension to the Brexit transition period.

The Prime Minister said the UK could “choose” to extend the transition period after Brussels offered it as an option to be included in the Withdrawal Agreement.

Doing so would mean paying billions of pounds more to the EU and delaying Britain’s uncoupling from Europe until six years after the 2016 referendum.

Addressing the CBI annual conference, Mrs May said a transition period extension was an “alternative to what has become known as the backstop”.

She said: “I want the future relationship to be able to be in place in January 2021.” However, if this was not possible, Mrs May said the UK could choose between implementing the backstop and agreeing the transition period.

“I think it is important in delivering for the British people that we are out of the implementation period before the next general election,” she said.

Michel Barnier, the EU’S chief negotiator, said a “prolongation” of the transition was being considered.

“I believe that we will make a final and specific proposal for these purposes during the course of this week,” he said. “Any prolongation of the transition period, which requires agreement with the British on their financial contribution during any such period, can’t be indefinite, it has to be a fixed period of time.”

The transition will begin on March 29 2019, and under the terms of the draft Brexit agreement will last until the end of 2020. This may be extended if the UK and EU were unable to agree on a future relationship by that date.

Greg Clark, the Business Secretary, said it “makes sense” to extend the transition period in certain scenarios. He told Today on BBC Radio 4: “It would be our discretion, it would be purely for us, if we wanted to, and there are reasons why we may not want to take that up.”

In a transition arrangement, EU law would continue to apply in the UK and Britain would participate in the customs union and the single market.

During an extended period, free movement from the UK could have to continue and Britain would make large payments to Brussels.

In October, Mrs May said she was ready to consider a delay of “a matter of months” in the final departure from the EU to avoid a hard border in Ireland. John Allan, the CBI president, said Mr Barnier’s proposal “may not be particularly helpful” at this point in time.

“I think he’s trying to be helpful and trying to reduce the risk that the backstop will be needed,” he told Radio 4. “We all hope it won’t be necessary, that the discussions on our future economic relationship ... will be concluded by the end of 2020 and within the existing transition period. But remember, that transition period only comes into effect if Parliament approves the Withdrawal Agreement. Otherwise we’ve got the cliff edge in March next year.”