Chief Whip’s threats to Brexit rebels over vote
CHIEF Whip Gavin Williamson threatened to get a senior Conservative sacked as an MP after he criticised Theresa May’s Brexit tactics in The Mail on Sunday.
Mr Williamson lambasted Tory Neil Carmichael who said it was ‘illogical’ for Mrs May to offer a Commons vote on any deal after talks with the EU, but not if there was no deal.
Sources say Mr Williamson, who revels in comparisons with Francis Urquhart – the sinister Tory Chief Whip in the British version of TV political thriller House Of Cards – threatened to have Mr Carmichael deselected as MP for Stroud. One Tory insider said it was an outrage to make such a threat against Mr Carmichael, chairman of the Commons all-party Education Selection Committee.
The clash came days after Mr Carmichael, who opposed leaving the EU, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Parliament must have a final say when we get to the endgame. We could be faced with leaving the EU by “falling off a cliff” with potentially disastrous consequences.’ Some MPs were surprised when Mr Carmichael did not join the seven Tory MPs who rebelled against the Brexit Bill last week.
Allies of the MP say he decided that Mrs May had ‘listened’ to his concerns by making concessions allowing MPs more say over the final outcome of the EU talks.
Others said they believed that the deselect threat may have influenced him.
Mr Williamson was involved in foul-mouthed exchanges with other rebel Tory MPs including Bath MP Ben Howlett and former Cabinet Minister Nicky Morgan.
A source close to Mr Williamson said he scowled at Mr Howlett: ‘You think I’m a nasty little c***, don’t you?’ before hurling more four-letter insults. Mr Howlett later abstained in the key vote, telling friends he believed the Government had ‘given ground’.
However, there were further clashes with Mr Williamson after the crunch Brexit vote following claims that the ‘concession’ won was a ‘con’.
Several rebels including Mr Carmichael, Mr Howlett and ex-Cabinet Minister Nicky Morgan decided not to vote against the Government, convinced that Mrs May had effectively agreed to their plea for a Commons vote if she fails to get an EU deal, and to
go back to Brussels and try again. But there was fury when Brexit Minister David Jones appeared to contradict this moments before Tuesday’s vote.
Mr Howlett, who abstained, and Ms Morgan, who voted with the Government, rounded on Mr Williamson in the Commons chamber claiming that they had been ‘duped’. Mr Howlett raged: ‘What the hell is going on?’ Ms Morgan told him: ‘This is a f****** disgrace!’ Eye-witnesses say Mr Williamson replied: ‘I am sorry, there has been a mistake.’
Mr Carmichael, Mr Howlett, Ms Morgan and Mr Williamson declined to comment.