Conservatives bent on self-destruction

THIS paper never ceases to be astonished by the Tories’ proclivity for self-destruction. Hardly a day seems to pass without an attack by one senior figure on another.

The perception grows that Conservatives are too busy fighting each other to attend to the issues that affect millions – such as crime, transport, the NHS and the near impossibility of home ownership for all but the most fortunate young families.

On Tuesday came the latest manifestation of the party’s apparent death-wish, when Brexiteers openly plotted to oust Theresa May.

The Mail has never made a secret of its own reservations over aspects of the Chequers compromise. But as the talks with Brussels enter their final stages, the truth is that this is the only blueprint for Brexit on the negotiating table.

It is worrying enough for the Prime Minister that Jean-Claude Juncker has appeared to reject key aspects of her plan (though the bibulous president of the European Commission blows hot and cold over the prospects of a deal, from one day to the next).

What possible good can Tory Brexiteers hope to serve, at this hugely sensitive moment in the talks, by wielding their daggers against her?

It is not as if they have the numbers to bring her down. Let alone do they have a coherent alternative plan for Brexit – nor, indeed, an obvious candidate to replace her, capable of uniting a divided party.

Like die-hard Tory Europhiles who still seek to overturn the referendum result, they succeed only in reinforcing the public’s impression of a party at war with itself.

The only possible beneficiary is Jeremy Corbyn – a leader so untrustworthy, it emerged yesterday that even his private secretary is being denied a Commons pass on security grounds.

Could any Brexit deal be more fatal to our country’s interests than handing this half-baked Marxist the keys to No 10?