May be aye, May be to call off Brexit vote
Downing Street in final drive for votes before crunch
Theresa May will fight to win the crucial Commons vote on her Brexit deal until the last possible minute, Scots Tory MPs predicted yesterday.
But, they said, she might then pull the plug if overwhelming defeat is inevitable.
Most observers believe a heavy defeat for the Prime Minister is still the most likely outcome on Tuesday but, some say, if the losing margin looks like reaching triple figures, Downing Street will pull the plug.
Mrs May has come under increasing pressure from her own MPs – including supporters – to delay the vote if such a heavy defeat seems inevitable.
She has been warned that a landslide defeat could lead to more turmoil, from a leadership challenge to a general election or second referendum.
Yesterday Stephen Kerr, the Conservative MP for Stirling, urged the PM to postpone the vote to avoid “humiliation” in the Commons.
If the vote goes ahead, Mr Kerr plans to vote in favour of it despite not being “jubilant or enthusiastic” about it.
But he said: “I cannot see the point of proceeding with the vote when you know you’re going to lose by hundreds of votes.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me. I would like to think there could be a postponement. To lose by 100 or 150 or 200, as some people are talking about, it’s a huge number. “It would be a humiliation. “The Prime Minister is pretty tough and if she has made up her mind that she’s going to take us down this road then that’s what will happen but I don’t think necessarily think it’s right.”
But Andrew Bowie, the Tory MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, said he had “no doubt” the vote would happen as planned at 7pm on Tuesday.
He pointed out that the run-up to Christmas does not give many options for Mrs May to choose to
‘ Why go ahead with the vote when you know you’re going to lose?
reschedule and said: “It’s cards on the table time.”
Mr Bowie added: “I’m backing the deal, I’m backing the Prime Minister.
“Delaying the vote isn’t likely to reap us any rewards.
“The EU has been quite clear that this is as good a deal as Britain can expect.
“I think we’ve got to press on and take the decision.
“If, however, the Prime Minister really does believe that there is option for change or an option to get something better – and if she does she hasn’t said so yet – then maybe delaying might be an option. But at the minute it doesn’t look likely that that is the case.”
Yesterday Amber Rudd said there would be a “chaotic” period if the vote was lost, and she was the first of Mrs May’s Cabinet to