Boris backs Mogg and attacks own ministers
Day he met some real big beasts
BORIS Johnson leapt to Jacob Rees-Mogg’s defence last night after he warned Theresa May she risks the collapse of her Government unless she delivers the Brexit she promised. Mr Rees- Mogg, a prominent Eurosceptic backbencher, caused a backlash by suggesting he could vote down the Prime Minister’s final deal with Brussels if it is unsatisfactory.
He warned her that backsliding could result in a Tory split reminiscent of Sir Robert Peel, who plunged the party into the political wilderness following bitter divisions over his ‘corn law’ trade reforms.
In an extraordinary row on Twitter, Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan rebuked Mr Rees-Mogg, accusing him of ‘insolence’ and ‘debasing government, party, country and himself’.
Alistair Burt, another Foreign Office minister, tweeted: ‘Enough.’ He added: ‘Just tired of this endless threat and counter threat.’
But last night Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson publicly reprimanded his two junior ministers, who both voted Remain. In a message, also posted on Twitter, he wrote: ‘It’s vital that all MPs are able to air their views on Brexit.
‘Whatever your position, I hope we can all agree that Jacob ReesMogg is a principled and dedicated MP who wants the best for our country.’ Meanwhile, William Hague warned that splits in the party would play into the EU’s hands at the negotiating table.
The former Tory leader used his Daily Telegraph column to say: ‘The choice is either to back a compromise plan now or to end up with a more watered-down version of Brexit that would be forced on ministers anyway. More dramatically, a leadership crisis would extend the paralysis in the negotiations, play into the hands of the EU and even increase the currently small chance that we never leave the EU at all.’
The in- fighting comes days before Mrs May gathers her Cabinet at Chequers to thrash out an agreement on the shape of our future relationship with Brussels. No 10 yesterday revealed that Mrs May is preparing to present a new ‘third way’ for how customs arrangements could work after two previous options were dismissed as unworkable.
Brexit- supporting ministers have voiced concerns, complaining they had yet to be shown the new proposals. One suggested this was a ‘deliberate ploy’ to prevent opposition ahead of the Cabinet away day. Downing Street last night insisted that ministers will get adequate opportunity to scrutinise the plans.
In the Commons, Mrs May sought to reassure MPs as she dismissed the option of staying in the European Economic Area (EEA), which would keep Britain in the single market with freedom of movement and continued large payments to Brussels. ‘ The EEA is not right because the EEA would not deliver on the vote of the referendum and the vote of the British people,’ she said.
The latest round of rows began after Mr Rees-Mogg, tipped as a potential Tory leader, used a newspaper column to issue a warning to the Prime Minister.
He said she must deliver what she promised – the UK leaving the single market, customs union and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice – or risk her administration collapsing.
Mr Rees-Mogg wrote in The Daily Telegraph: ‘Theresa May must stand firm for what she herself has promised. One former Tory leader, Sir Robert Peel, decided to break his manifesto pledge and passed legislation with the majority of his party voting the other way. This left the Conservatives out of office for 28 years.
‘At least he did so for a policy that works. At Chequers (Mrs May) must stick to her righteous cause and deliver what she has said she would. She must use her undoubted grace to persevere.’
In response, veteran Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames wrote on Twitter: ‘A message for my old friend Jacob Rees-Mogg. Shut up. Let the PM do her job without this constant carping. Put a sock in it.’
North Dorset Tory MP Simon Hoare said that ‘the hectoring nonsense’ and ‘ blackmail’ had to stop.
‘A principled and dedicated MP’