Region’s Tories – including former Brexit Secretary – change sides to back PM’s deal

ALL BUT one of the Yorkshire Tories who opposed the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal in January switched sides in last night’s second meaningful vote.

But their decision to support Mrs May still meant those who voted for the new agreement were outnumbered 35 to 18 by the region’s MPs who opposed the deal.

Only Morley and Outwood MP Andrea Jenkyns, who resigned her junior ministerial position last year to oppose the PM on Brexit, remained in opposition among Yorkshire Conservatives.

Prior to the vote, she wrote on Twitter that the Attorney General’s advice was that the legal risk [on the Irish backstop] “remains unchanged”.

She added: “Nothing has really changed, and it is still a bad deal so unable to vote for this. We must hold our nerve.”

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis, MP for Haltemprice and Howden, was joined by Shipley’s Philip Davies, York Outer’s Julian Sturdy, Cleethorpes’ Martin Vickers and East Yorkshire’s Sir Greg Knight in changing positions. On the Labour side, only Don Valley MP Caroline Flint changed her position and voted for Mrs May’s deal after previously opposing it. She joined fellow South Yorkshire MP Sir Kevin Barron, who also backed the Prime Minister in January’s vote.

But other Yorkshire Labour MPs overwhelmingly opposed the deal. Among them was Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn, chairman of the Commons Brexit committee, who wrote on social media: “I will be voting against the Prime Minister’s deal this evening. It is not in the national interest.” And Hull MP Diana Johnson wrote: “I am voting against a deal which does not deliver on the promises made to my constituents in Hull North in 2016.

“That’s my job to scrutinise what the PM has negotiated and as sadly nothing has changed from the last time we voted on it in January 2019 I cannot support it today.”

Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake revealed his intention to vote for the deal, meaning his position is unchanged from January, on Sunday.