Consensus a distant dream after every indicative vote fails
MPS last night failed secure a majority for any alternative to the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal as a back-bench bid to seize control ended in deadlock.
The Commons yesterday held indicative votes on eight alternatives to the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal – but failed to reach a consensus on any of them.
Under the plans, MPS will now hold further votes on Monday as a crossbench group of MPS try to force the Prime Minister to pursue a softer Brexit.
The most popular option in last night’s votes, a second referendum, received the support of 268 MPS – more than the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal last week. A motion tabled by Ken Clarke, a former Tory Chancellor, to keep Britain in a customs union lost by just eight votes.
Stephen Barclay, the Brexit Secre- tary, said: “There is no easy option here. No simple way forward. The deal the Government has negotiated is the way forward.”
Plans for a no-deal Brexit secured the support of 160 MPS, a Common Market 188 MPS, revoking Article 50 184 MPS and the “Malthouse compromise” 139 MPS.
The Prime Minister yesterday bowed to demands to give MPS a free vote on the Brexit alternatives after stark warnings at Cabinet that she would face mass ministerial resignations if she tried to impose the whip.
Five ministers – Rory Stewart, Margot James, Anne Milton, Simon Hoare and Mark Field – voted for a customs union. Three ministers – Stephen Hammond, Mr Field and Mike Freer – voted to revoke Article 50 to avoid no deal.
In a bid to avoid further Cabinet divisions, the Prime Minister ordered her most senior ministers to abstain from the vote entirely. In doing so she avoided the possibility of Remain Cabinet ministers voting for a second referendum or softer Brexit.
While Mrs May has repeatedly suggested she can ignore the outcome of the indicative votes because they are not binding, MPS are prepared to bring forward back-bench legislation to force the Government to accept the favoured outcome.
Earlier in the day, Nick Boles, one of the architects of the attempt to seize control of Brexit, told the Commons: “After years of paralysing conflict we have moral duty to open our minds this afternoon and reach for a compromise that will allow us to put the interminable Brexit row behind us. Each of us today is a leader.”
Mr Boles, who advocates the “Common Market 2.0” proposal which would see Britain stay in the single market and customs union while restricting migration, said: “It offers something important and valuable to everyone and every party in this house.”
However, in a sign of the clear divisions Greg Hands, another Tory MP, tabled a motion that would see Britain stay in the single market but remove the commitment to a customs union.
He told MPS: “A customs union would give short-term relief at a cost of long-term pain. The democratic deficit will grow and grow. Our trade policy will end up being set by others.”
In a move that will add to Downing Street’s concerns, the DUP abstained on the Common Market 2.0 motion.
Stephen Kinnock, a Labour MP, called for British politics “to rediscover the lost art of compromise” while Nicky Morgan, a former Tory cabinet minister, said: “My personal vote will be to vote for any option that gives a negotiated settlement that leads to an orderly exit from the European Union.”
John Baron, a Eurosceptic Tory MP backing a no-deal Brexit, said: “I appeal to the House for rational consideration with regards to no deal. I know there are a lot of scare stories out there, but this is a repeat of 2016. Those scare stories were wrong then, they are wrong now.”
Others raised significant concerns about the indicative votes and the precedent they set.
Kate Hoey, a Eurosceptic Labour MP, said: “We are in a very dangerous situation in this House. Democracy cannot be compromised. Outside there is huge anger. We may not see it here in London, but it’s growing. We have backed ourselves into a hole. The only way now is to either leave on a WTO agreement or find a way that the Withdrawal Agreement can be changed.”
Sir Bill Cash, a Eurosceptic Tory MP, said: “Contrary to the rubbish that I hear all over certain parts of the House that somehow or other Remainers in Parliament have a right to be able to take back that decision from the people ... This Parliament has no right to take that decision back from them.”
The Government made one last attempt to fight of the indicative votes by whipping against the business motion. It lost by 331 to 287.