Corbyn in the Brexit driving seat
To the fury of Tory backbenchers, May holds talks with Labour leader and prepares to shift her ‘red lines’
THERESA MAY appeared to be moving towards Jeremy Corbyn’s soft Brexit demands last night as her top law officer claimed a customs union with the EU would not be “a sell-out”.
As Mrs May held “constructive” talks with the Labour leader, Geoffrey Cox, the Attorney General, was sent on to the airwaves to make it clear that Tory “red lines” would have to move.
The Daily Telegraph also understands that UK diplomats are already preparing to send a letter to the EU requesting a long Brexit extension, well ahead of the deadline of the European Council summit next Wednesday.
Mr Cox’s comments prompted open warfare in the Conservative Party as furious backbenchers demanded Mrs May’s head, two junior ministers resigned, and the Prime Minister was braced for the possibility of Cabinetlevel resignations to come.
Late last night, MPS voted for a new law – with a majority of a single vote – that will force Mrs May to seek a Brexit extension.
The Commons voted by 313-312 to prevent Mrs May opting for a no-deal Brexit on April 12 if it is ratified by the House of Lords, a process which could be completed today. Any delay would have to be granted by the EU.
In a growing row, Brexiteers warned Mrs May that agreeing to a customs union or any deal with Mr Corbyn would be a “disaster” and a “betrayal” that would tear the party in two. Last night, Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, told the 1922 Committee that a customs union was a “bad idea”.
But an unrepentant Mrs May blamed hardline Eurosceptics for pushing her into a corner, saying their decision to vote against her deal three times meant a Labour pact was now “the only way” to leave the EU in an “orderly” way.
Mr Corbyn faced his own backlash, as Labour supporters warned against accepting any deal that did not include a second referendum and the continuation of freedom of movement. Talks between the two will continue today.
Last night, Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, suggested a second referendum was a viable option. He told ITV’S Peston: “The confirmatory referendum idea is a perfectly credible proposition and it deserves to be tested in Parliament.” He also indicated a long delay was in the offing.
Mrs May appointed a Remain-heavy negotiating team to carry on the talks with Labour until her next meeting with Mr Corbyn. David Lidington, the Cabinet Office Minister, Julian Smith, the Chief Whip, and chief of staff Gavin Barwell all voted Remain, with only Stephen Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, voting Leave among the quartet.
Mrs May is running out of time to agree a Brexit deal after backbench MPS seized control of Parliament yesterday in an attempt to pass a law that would force a Brexit extension.
If Mrs May fails to reach an agreement with Mr Corbyn, she is expected to table a series of votes, which could take place on Monday, that will force MPS to choose between her deal or an alternative such as a customs union.
The Government’s letter to the EU requesting a long Brexit extension, which was not submitted yesterday but was said by sources to be under active consideration, is understood to be designed to avoid Parliament taking control of the extension process. Whitehall sources indicated that Mrs May had already made up her mind to request a long extension that would “fall away” if and when the Withdrawal Agreement was passed in the Commons.
Mr Cox set alarm bells ringing among Tory Eurosceptics last night by telling the BBC that “a customs union is not some kind of sell-out”. He added: “If we were not to leave because we were unprepared to move any of the red lines that we have set, it would effectively mean we never leave at all.”
Within minutes of the interview being aired, Mr Fox told the 1922 Committee that Mrs May had made an election pledge to take Britain out of the customs union.
Backbenchers were so angry that they discussed holding an “indicative vote” on whether to tell Mrs May to resign, and Sir Graham Brady, the group’s chairman, said he was willing to accept letters of no confidence in the Prime Minister, even though Tory MPS cannot hold another confidence vote in her until December.
Nigel Adams, a minister in the Wales Office, resigned yesterday, telling Mrs May she had ruled in favour of a deal “cooked up with a Marxist who has never once in his political life put British interests first”. Chris Heaton-harris, a minister in charge of planning for no deal, followed, saying Mrs May had effectively made him redundant.
When I was eight, my parents received a letter from the late Michael Alison, the then MP for Selby. My parents had been refused a grant for central heating by the local council but Mr Alison’s intervention overturned that decision and our MP ensured that our winters would no longer be chilly.
My dad still treasures the letter, written on Commons notepaper. At the time, this son of a school caretaker and home help never imagined he’d end up on the green benches, representing his home seat, but when I am asked why I became an MP it is this letter that I reflect on.
For me, MPS have a job that is simultaneously a huge responsibility and an immense privilege. Six years after I was first elected, Britain went
to the polls for a “once in a lifetime” decision. On June 24 2016, we awoke to the news that we’d leave the EU.
This result is something I am, and always have been, determined to deliver on because I believe that Britain’s freedom from the EU will make a difference in the everyday lives of my constituents, and the country, for the better. I know I am not alone in this belief or this determination.
‘We are now in the ludicrous position of making preparations for elections to the European Parliament’
Most of my Conservative colleagues in the House share this view and many constituents get in touch to reaffirm the decision they made in 2016. I have only spoken to one constituent who voted Leave who would now choose to remain, but many more have changed from Remain to Leave.
The Prime Minister asserted at the beginning of negotiations with the EU that a no-deal Brexit would be better for our country than a bad deal, something I agreed with. When the Withdrawal Agreement was brought to the table, people quickly drew attention to the flaws it contained.
I could see those flaws plainly – but I also understood the need for compromise. After two years of negotiations, I was keen to deliver on the referendum result my constituents and the country had voted for and I saw the deal on offer as the best way to guarantee our departure on March 29.
For varying reasons, many of my colleagues across the House felt differently and so the agreement has thus far failed to pass in the Commons. Rejected too were all options of the so-called indicative votes. I received many messages of frustration and anger over the decision to delay Brexit day, frustrations that I shared. I was optimistic, following the seven-hour Cabinet meeting, that the Cabinet and Prime Minister would show courage and strength on behalf of Britain and set out our willingness and ability to leave the EU with no deal if necessary.
And I was fairly sure that with a big contingent of Cabinet ministers who voted to leave the EU, there was no chance that we would simply opt for another delay. As it is, we have simply bottled it once again. We are now in the ludicrous position of making preparations for elections to the European Parliament – which will cost the taxpayer well over £100million.
Worst of all, we are now entrusting the final stages of this negotiation to Jeremy Corbyn – a man whose extreme Left-wing views in my view should disqualify him from the
‘It is time for a new approach and new leadership in the next phase of negotiations ahead’
leadership of this country. It is a quite incredible state of affairs. That is why I felt I had no choice but to resign and as I write this, I understand others have followed suit. It is time for a new approach from this Government and a new leadership in the next phase of negotiations ahead. I want to be able to write to my constituents and tell them proudly that yes – we have not let them down, and that we will deliver the Brexit they voted for.