Hunt: We could have early election

JEREMY Hunt yesterday suggested a parliamentary vote to delay Brexit could lead to an early General Election.

The Health Secretary played down suggestions that Theresa May would be forced to call a snap poll – saying it was the ‘last thing’ the Government or the people wanted.

But he appeared to suggest that if MPs vote down triggering Article 50 – formally starting talks on leaving the EU – an election would be necessary. Appearing on BBC1’s Andrew Marr show, he warned MPs and peers not to scupper Brexit, saying that Parliament was not there to negotiate treaties.

And he said the economy would suffer if Mrs May was forced by Parliament to reveal too much about her talks with the European Commission.

Asked by Mr Marr if an election would have to be called if Parliament voted against Article 50, the Health Secretary said: ‘I think a General Election is frankly the last thing the Government wants.

‘Theresa May wants to get on with the job and frankly it is the last thing the British people want, with all these very, very important national decisions.

‘Because of that I think it is highly unlikely that Parliament would not, in the end, back a decision to trigger Article 50.’

Mr Hunt told the programme he had been a Remainer until the EU referendum. ‘After that I became a democrat,’ he said, as he warned Parliament not to ‘unpick’ the public’s decision.

‘Parliament passes laws, it always has, but governments negotiate treaties,’ he said.

‘And the reason that Parliament can’t negotiate treaties is because you can’t decide an international treaty by a simple vote of MPs.’

He added: ‘For people worried about the impact of Brexit on the economy or whatever else it is, the damage to the fabric of our democracy would be far, far worse if people felt the Establishment was trying to unpick a decision that was made. The impact on the economy will be far worse if, through some parliamentary mechanism, Theresa May is forced to lay out her entire negotiating strategy.

‘The Government has said that it’s highly likely that Parliament would ratify any deal that was agreed about the terms of our exit.’