Rebels will hold noses and back her says McVey
FORMER Cabinet minister Esther McVey has given a boost to the Prime Minister by saying she expects MPs to ‘hold their noses’ and vote for her deal.
The former work and pensions secretary, who quit over the policy and voted against it twice, also signalled she might back Theresa May’s agreement.
She suggested that Brexiteers would eventually do the same and vote in favour to ensure Britain leaves the European Union.
Several of her Brexiteer colleagues said yesterday they would back the Prime Minister’s deal if the legal advice changes, or if the Democratic Unionist Party supports it. Others signalled privately that they would only back it if Mrs May sets out her timetable to step down.
Ms McVey resigned from Cabinet in November, saying the deal did not ‘honour the result of the referendum’. But yesterday, she told BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson podcast that there was a ‘chance’ she could back the deal and said she had already decided how she would vote.
She added: ‘The element now is that people will have to take a bad deal rather than No Deal.’
Asked whether she thought they could hold their nose and vote for the withdrawal agreement, she said: ‘Yes. They will. I don’t know what the number is, but they will have to do that if they... want Brexit.
‘Remember those words “we will not be part of the customs union, the single market”, all of those red lines. Would you have believed they would have been broken, not adhered to and then run the clock down and not go back with a negotiating hand to change it?’
She added that Leave-backing MPs would have to ‘think a different way next week’ when the meaningful vote comes for the third time.
She said the Prime Minister had to stand down in a ‘dignified manner’. ‘She took on a very difficult role. She had a very difficult pack of cards. The lady has to leave in a dignified manner,’ she said.
Yesterday, some of her fellow Tory
MPs said they were prepared to shift their position if the legal advice changed, or the DUP came on board. Gordon Henderson said: ‘If the Government can find a formula that satisfies our DUP colleagues, then it will satisfy me.’
Bob Stewart said: ‘Legal advice plus DUP changing position would help.’ Ian Liddell-Grainger said: ‘I want to see what Geoffrey Cox comes back
with.’ Grant Shapps said he wanted ‘more assurances on the backstop’. John Baron said he would ‘await developments next week’ while Henry Smith said it was ‘too early’ to say how he would vote.
But many Brexiteer MPs said their views remained unchanged. AnneMarie Trevelyan suggested she would not back the deal unless the backstop was changed at treaty level. ‘My con
cerns remain unchanged, that the backstop isn’t under our control,’ she said. Asked if she would be convinced if the legal advice changed, she said: ‘I’d be convinced if the treaty changes were clear so that advice could change. Legal advice shouldn’t change on an unchanged situation.’
Tory colleague Julian Lewis said he would not vote for the deal, adding that his views were not dependent on the DUP. ‘I want there to be a clean break and I believe no deal would be the precursor of a very good deal.’
Others simply said Mrs May had to quit. One former Cabinet minister said: ‘What really concerns me is that the same bunch of incompetents who gave us this deal will not be in charge of the next round of talks. She needs to say she’s going to be gone by the summer – that is a view quite widely shared among colleagues.’
Another Conservative MP said: ‘She’s got to go. That is my bottom line for supporting this dreadful deal. Then we might salvage some of the damage.’
‘The lady has to leave in a dignified manner’