May quells party revolt... for now
Senior Brexiteers give embattled PM a lifeline
THERESA May appears to have quelled the Brexit rebellion in her cabinet, temporarily at least, after securing the backing of two influential pro-leave ministers.
Senior Brexiteers Michael Gove and Liam Fox have signalled they will not be following Boris Johnson and David Davis – who quit in protest over Mrs May’s Brexit plans.
UK environment minister Mr Gove said yesterday he backed the prime minister’s plans ‘100%’. And international trade secretary Mr Fox was seen to shake his head and mouth the word ‘no’ when reporters asked him if he was about to quit.
But the prime minister did not survive the day unscathed, as two low-ranking Conservative vice-chairs quit over her plans for Britain’s future relationship with the EU. Ben Bradley and Maria Caulfield warned that Mrs May’s plans for close links with Europe after Brexit risked handing Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn the keys to 10 Downing Street.
However, it isn’t clear if those who oppose Mrs May’s plans would be able to muster the support required to mount a challenge to her leadership.
Under party rules, 48 Tory MPs – 15% of the party’s 316-strong representation in the Commons – must write to the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, to trigger a noconfidence vote.
Former leader Michael Howard said a bid to oust Mrs May would be ‘extremely foolish and extremely ill-advised’.
Labour MP Owen Smith, a supporter of the Best for Britain campaign for a second EU referendum, said: ‘[Former Brexit secretary] David Davis and the other resigning Tories are just the first of the rats to quit the sinking Brexit ship.’
In Dublin, the view is emerging that a Theresa May-led government could represent the best way forward for Ireland. Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin praised Mrs May for putting forward a clear path in negotiations during a speech she made on Friday.
‘The hardline Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson and David Davis never produced the blueprint and never produced a coherent alternative. Indeed, the outgoing foreign secretary [Mr Johnson] said that it was the beginning of the end of the dream,’ he told the Dáil.
‘However, dreams rarely correspond to reality, and I think credit should be given to the prime minister for navigating this new direction in very difficult political circumstances.’
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar agreed and suggested a compromise in negotiations may soon be on the cards. ‘It is welcome and, as we have always said in the past, if the United Kingdom was able to relax from some of its red lines, then the EU should be flexible too. Perhaps we are now entering into that space,’ he said.
Asked if Mrs May’s leadership was now a case of ‘better the devil you know’, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald replied: ‘You might take that view.’
But she added: ‘I can tell you, whether there is an election or there isn’t an election, the constant chaos and lack of decision and playing for time on the side of the British certainly heightens the chance of a chaotic Brexit or a hard Brexit.’
Professor Federico Fabbrini, of the DCU Brexit Institute, told the Irish Daily Mail the break-up of Mrs May’s cabinet would have been viewed as ‘inevitable’ in Dublin and Brussels for months. He said: ‘It has been predicted for some time for the simple reason that the views held within the Tory cabinet were irreconcilable. Potentially, it might strengthen Theresa May in her ability to negotiate a softer Brexit.’
‘First of the rats to leave sinking ship’