Hammond: Let MPs vote on a referendum
CABINET Ministers were at loggerheads last night after Philip Hammond urged consideration of a second referendum to avoid a No Deal Brexit.
Backbenchers led by Tory Sir Oliver Letwin aim to take over the Parliamentary timetable today to stage votes on alternatives to Theresa May’s deal.
Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay warned that any move by MPs to force the country into keeping close ties with the EU could result in a general election.
But Mr Hammond, the Chancellor, said it was right that the Commons should have its say on options such as a second referendum or staying in the customs union. The Cabinet is deeply divided between ministers who want a No Deal Brexit if Mrs May’s plan is rejected and those who believe it should be avoided by moving towards a ‘soft’ Brexit or a long delay.
MPs will vote on an amendment this evening that would allow socalled ‘indicative votes’ on Wednesday to test whether there is an alternative that could command majority support in the Commons.
Ministers are expected to hold the votes even if the amendment is not passed. MPs will consider remaining in the customs union, a new referendum, No Deal or the cancelling of Brexit, among other options.
Mr Hammond suggested yesterday that he would be open to a softer Brexit or even another referendum.
Speaking on the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News, he said: ‘We’ve got to address the question of what type of Brexit is acceptable to Parliament, what type of way forward Parliament can agree on so we can avoid what would be an economic catastrophe of a No Deal exit and also what would be a very big challenge to confidence in our political system if we didn’t exit at all. The Prime Minister’s deal is my preferred way forward, but I’m realistic that we may not be able to get a majority for the Prime Minister’s deal and if that is the case then Parliament will have to decide not just what it’s against, but what it is for.’
Asked if he could back the country remaining in a customs union, Mr Hammond said he would not want No Deal or to revoke Article 50, the formal process for leaving the EU.
But he added: ‘Beyond that, I want to see a compromise and the essence of compromise is that nobody gets everything they want.
‘I’m not sure there’s a majority in Parliament for a second referendum but it’s a perfectly coherent proposition. It deserves to be considered.’
However, Mr Barclay said indicative votes were not legally binding and if MPs voted for something that went against Tory manifesto commitments, such as remaining in the customs union or the single market, the Government may be forced to call a general election.
He said if backbench MPs took control of the Commons timetable and voted for a different outcome, it would ‘potentially collide with fundamental commitments the Government has given in their manifesto’.
Mr Barclay told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: ‘What Parliament has done is vote for a number of contradictory things, so we would need to untangle that. Ultimately, the risk of a general election increases because you potentially have a situation where Parliament is instructing the executive to do something counter to what it was elected to do.’
Tory MP Nick Boles, who has led calls for a Norway-style Brexit with Britain in the common market with a customs arrangement to ensure frictionless trade, dismissed any early election. He tweeted: ‘This is nonsense. The PM cannot call a general election whenever she feels. She would need the backing of two-thirds of MPs. No way most Tory MPs are voting for an early election.’
But some Eurosceptics supported holding a general election to prevent a softer Brexit. Tory MP Simon Clarke said: ‘Better that, surely, than being reduced to the transmission mechanism for policies that are not our own and which fly in the face of promises on which we were elected.
‘The Opposition is the least popular in living memory. I would far rather take my chances with the public having been thwarted by a Remain Parliament than having capitulated to it.’
‘This is nonsense’