Mrs May is playing a dangerous game
Within the space of a few days, the Government’s position on the consequences if Parliament rejects Theresa May’s Brexit deal has become murkier and murkier. Last week, the Prime Minister said MPS faced three choices: support the Withdrawal Agreement she had negotiated; leave the EU without a deal; or stay in the EU.
Since the country has voted to leave, it is not clear how the latter option would be democratically attainable, other than through a second referendum, which Mrs May has ruled out. But yesterday, the choices were narrowed by Amber Rudd, the Work and Pensions Secretary, who returned to the Cabinet last week after Esther Mcvey’s resignation in protest at the deal.
Ms Rudd, a noted Remainer during the referendum campaign, flatly asserted that Parliament would stop a “no deal” and implied that the only available options, therefore, were to support the Prime Minister or stay in the EU. This is a breathtakingly arrogant position to adopt. Ms Rudd cannot presume to know how Parliament will vote in these circumstances. In any case, it has already legislated to leave on March 29 next year.
The tactics here seem to be clear: since Labour is not going to back the deal, the most recalcitrant group in the Conservative Party that needs to be won over are the Brexiteers, so if the prospect of staying in the EU is talked up they will come round to support the lesser of two evils.
Ms Rudd is a close ally of the Prime Minister and it is hard to believe she was on a freelance operation. Is the country now being told that you can have Brexit Mrs May’s way (even though hardly anyone thinks it is a good deal for Britain) or you cannot have it at all? Whatever happened to “no deal is better than a bad deal”, one of Mrs May’s stock phrases? Since preparations for no deal have been perfunctory and members of the Cabinet are apparently determined it will not happen under any circumstances, those words now look hollow.
Mrs May’s strategy is to string out the negotiations until MPS panic into supporting her for fear of the cliff edge. She is being assisted by EU countries demanding changes to the text which may see the conclusion of the process pushed back to next month. She is playing a dangerous game. The people voted to leave; and if politicians are now conspiring to deny them that outcome, there will be serious consequences for our democracy.