Remainer Ministers ‘will pay for backing Article 50 extension’
JEREMY HUNT and Sajid Javid have been warned they will be targeted “remorselessly” by Eurosceptics during the next Tory leadership campaign after voting to extend Article 50.
Mr Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, and Mr Javid, the Home Secretary, are seen as “centrist” prospects who have the potential to win the support of both Eurosceptics and Remainers.
However, on Thursday evening they were among 18 Cabinet ministers who backed the Prime Minister’s motion to extend Article 50 until the end of June.
Seven Cabinet ministers voted against the motion including Gavin Williamson, Stephen Barclay, Andrea Leadsom, Liam Fox, Chris Grayling, Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt.
A senior Eurosceptic yesterday told The Daily Telegraph: “In any leadership contest they will be reminded remorselessly how they voted last night.
“I don’t think that the party membership will vote for someone who voted to take no-deal off the table or to extend Article 50. Sajid and Jeremy came from Remain and are Remainers.”
It came as Mr Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, said that Britain should leave without a deal rather than accept a long delay to Brexit. Mr Barclay said that a
‘In any leadership contest, Mr Hunt and Mr Javid will be reminded remorselessly how they voted on Thursday’
“short technical extension” beyond March 29 to implement a deal would be acceptable however.
The comments indicate that Mr Barclay could quit if there is a long delay to Brexit. He would be the third Brexit secretary to resign after David Davis and Dominic Raab both left their post due to disagreements with the Prime Minister’s withdrawal strategy.
“If we get the deal through as I hope we still will, we will now need a short technical extension. But if not we shouldn’t be afraid to leave with nodeal.”
He added: “If we have a deal, because of the delays that Parliament has put in place in getting that deal with the two meaningful votes, that has delayed the process.
“We have to pass the legislation, what is known as the Withdrawal Bill, to deliver on the deal and that will take time. There will now need to be a short technical extension, that was part of the motion.
“There were two parts of the motion. A short technical extension which we need with a deal and we are pushing that. That’s separate from whether you just have a long extension rather than no-deal.”
Mr Barclay said his views on Brexit and no-deal were “long-standing”.
He said: “I support Brexit. This constituency voted in very large numbers for Brexit.
“We need a deal, we need to get that over the line, but if we don’t have a deal then we should leave with no-deal.”