MAY: NOW DO YOUR DUTY

Forced by mutinous ministers to offer vote on Brexit delay, she demands in today’s Mail that MPs back her deal – and end paralysis

THERESA May today urges Parliament to ‘do its duty’ and vote through her Brexit deal.

Writing in the Daily Mail, she says she is close to winning concessions from the EU that could persuade Eurosceptic MPs to back her. Mrs May yesterday faced a mass walkout by Remainer ministers and was forced to offer MPs a vote to delay Brexit beyond March 29 if she cannot get her plans through the Commons.

But in an upbeat assessment of her talks with Brussels and European leaders, she said: ‘I have found a real determination to find a way through

which allows the UK to leave with a deal. That engagement has already begun to bear fruit.

‘Parliament should do its duty so our country can move forward.’

The Prime Minister’s decision to sanction a possible Brexit delay prompted a furious row in Cabinet yesterday, with Amber Rudd, David Gauke, Greg Clark and Claire Perry facing a backlash for forcing the PM’s hand on a postponement by publicly threatening to resign.

In a counterblast today, former Brexit secretary David Davis accuses Mrs May of ‘capitulating to blackmail’ and warns that opening the door to a delay sends the wrong message to Brussels.

Also writing in the Mail, Mr Davis is scathing about ‘mutineer ministers encircling the Prime Minister’.

He writes: ‘The Prime Minister should ignore those ministers currently having a panic attack about the prospects of No Deal. Their fears are exaggerated. While No Deal might – might – be economically difficult, no Brexit would be a democratic disaster.’

As a cross-party group led by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and Tory Sir Oliver Letwin dropped plans to force a vote on letting Parliament seize control of Brexit:

The pound surged to a 21month high against the euro as traders predicted that Mrs May’s move had made No Deal less likely;

Ministers were forced to publish a secret Cabinet paper warning No Deal would lead to shortages of fruit and vegetables in supermarkets;

DUP leader Arlene Foster, who held talks with the Prime Minister yesterday, warned against a delay;

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom turned on Cabinet Remainers for going public with their threats to quit;

Jeremy Corbyn faced a backlash over his decision to back a second referendum, despite claiming to respect the result of the first;

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox held talks with EU officials on ways to ensure the controversial Irish backstop ‘cannot endure indefinitely’.

Mrs May’s decision to open the door to a Brexit delay appeared to have averted the threat of an immediate rebellion last night.

At least 15 ministers had threatened to resign to vote for the proposal put forward by Miss Cooper, which would have allowed Parliament to force Mrs May to seek an extension of Article 50 if the PM had not achieved a deal by the middle of next month.

Instead, Mrs May set out a new timetable which would achieve a similar effect. She confirmed that MPs would get a second ‘meaningful vote’ on her Brexit deal by March 12. The first last month led to a record government defeat. If the deal fails to pass again MPs would vote the next day on whether to back No Deal.

If No Deal is formally rejected MPs would have the chance to vote on extending Article 50 the following day.

Mrs May said any delay should be as short as possible.

But Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading Tory Brexiteer, said a short delay would mean ‘the cliff edge is simply moved back’. He added: ‘This effort to play call-my-bluff is not going to change people’s minds to back her deal.’

Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the CBI, said: ‘Moves to avert No Deal in March are essential. To avoid a hammer blow to firms and livelihoods, delay cannot simply be an extension of stalemate. Compromise is the only way.’