Gove: give May more time
MICHAEL GOVE has called on his colleagues to allow Theresa May to resign on her own terms as Tory MPS prepared to urge the Prime Minister to trigger an immediate leadership election.
The Environment Secretary said Mrs May would remain in No10 “for a while to come yet” and MPS should allow her to honour her commitment to quit once Brexit had been delivered. He also signalled he could contest the battle to succeed Mrs May, as he did not rule out throwing his hat into the ring. “It is important to acknowledge that she has said she will stand down when the agreement is ratified,” Mr Gove said. “She should be given the time, space and dignity to leave in a way that she believes is right.”
When asked if he would run for the leadership, he said: “I think sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Responding to the suggestion that this did not amount to ruling it out, he replied: “No, it’s not a no.”
THERESA MAY is moving towards holding a series of “definitive votes” on different Brexit options to break the current impasse if compromise talks with Labour break down.
The Prime Minister will ask MPS to rank different Brexit outcomes in order of preference, almost certainly in a single transferable vote system, which would guarantee a winner.
Downing Street views the votes proposal as potentially its last throw of the dice as the Government attempts to find a Brexit strategy capable of securing the support of a majority of MPS.
A Brexit compromise deal with Labour remains No10’s “Plan A”, however, should the talks collapse then ministers will move on to their “Plan B” of offering MPS votes on other scenarios. Mrs May hopes to reach a solution that would allow her to get the first stage of Brexit legislation through Parliament before next week’s European elections.
The talks with Labour broke up last night with “no substantive progress” made, according to Labour sources.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Today’s meeting took stock across the range of issues discussed over the last few weeks. We continue to seek to agree a way forward in order to secure our orderly withdrawal from the EU.”
Last night The Times reported that 13 of Mrs May’s former cabinet colleagues as well as Sir Graham Brady have written to her with a plea to reject Jeremy Corbyn’s demand for a cross-party agreement. The letter warns that she will sacrifice the “loyal middle” of her party if she was to strike a deal with Labour. The group includes Gavin Williamson, the former defence secretary, Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab.