OUTRAGEOUS! REBELLION BY 11 STUBBORN TORY MPs THREATENS BREXIT CHAOS
TORY warfare over Brexit erupted last night after a backbench revolt condemned Theresa May to a bruising first Commons defeat on her EU Withdrawal Bill.
In a night of tense drama, 11 turncoat Tory MPs defied the Prime Minister to side with Labour in demanding a “meaningful vote” on any final departure deal agreed with Brussels.
The Government lost by just four votes, sparking furious calls for the rebels to be stripped of the right to stand as Tory MPs.
A total of 309 MPs backed a rebel amendment tabled by the former Tory minister Dominic Grieve while 305 sided with the Government.
It was a bitter blow for Mrs May and Brexit Secretary David Davis on the eve of a crunch EU summit expected to give the go-ahead to trade talks following months of deadlock in the exit negotiations. But the Prime Minister immediately got tough by sacking former minister Stephen Hammond as a vice-chairman of the Tory Party for rebelling against the Government.
The Commons defeat shattered the Tory truce over Brexit since Mrs May’s diplomatic triumph in achieving a breakthrough in Brussels a week ago.
Pro-Brexit Tory MP Philip Davies said after the vote: “The Labour Party and a few Tory Remoaners who can’t accept the result of the referendum have managed to pass a wrecking amendment.”
He added that voters in the MPs’ constituencies and Tory associations “need to know that they voted to overturn the result of the referendum.”
Fellow Brexit-backing backbencher Nadine Dorries said: “The Tory rebels have put a spring in Labour’s step, given them a taste of winning, guaranteed the party a weekend of bad press, undermined the PM and devalued her impact in Brussels. They should be deselected and never allowed to stand as a Tory MP, ever again.”
Ministers fear the amendment to the Withdrawal Bill could create complications for leaving the EU.
And some Eurosceptic MPs were concerned the defeat will be seen across Europe as a sign that Brexit may be thwarted by Remainers.
A Government spokesman said the vote was “disappointing” but added: “This amendment does not prevent us from preparing our statute book for exit day.”
Justice minister Dominic Raab also said: “It’s not going to derail Brexit.”
The six-hour debate saw a string of angry clashes.
Veteran Eurosceptic Tory Bernard Jenkin was shouted down by fellow MPs after saying it was “not the moment to defeat the Government” given Mrs May’s attendance at a key Brussels summit today.
Rebels claimed bullying tactics by Tory whips.
Following the vote, leading Tory Remainer Anna Soubry risked inflaming the row by accusing the Government of being “stupid”.
And another leading rebel, Nicky Morgan, crowed: “Tonight Parliament took control of the EU Withdrawal process.”
Mr Hammond, minutes before his sacking, said: “I don’t want to sound pompous – but just occasionally, one has to put principle before party.”
The 11 Tory rebels in the crunch vote were Mr Hammond, Ms Morgan, Mr Grieve, Ms Soubry, Heidi Allen, former chancellor Kenneth Clarke, Jonathan Djanogly, Sir Oliver Heald, Robert Neill, Antoinette Sandbach and Dr Sarah Wollaston.
As ministers battled to persuade rebels to back down, one witness claimed a female Tory MP was reduced to tears by “bully boy tactics” from a party whip.
And Mrs Soubry added: “I saw the woman MP after she had been spoken to, she was upset and shaken.”
But the Prime Minister’s spokesman denied claims the woman had been left crying by the incident.
Later last night a Labour amendment, seeking to remove the capacity of ministers to modify and amend the Act via delegated powers, was defeated by 316 votes to 297.