Scottish Daily Mail

Defiant May sets date with destiny

- By Jason Groves and John Stevens

THERESA May last night vowed to press on with a Commons vote on her Brexit deal in just two weeks, despite warnings it could cost her her job.

Downing Street announced that the so-called ‘meaningful vote’ on the Brexit deal will be held on December 11, following five days of debate by MPs.

In a bruising session in the Commons yesterday, Mrs May appealed to MPs to give her deal a chance, saying it would deliver an end to free movement ‘once and for all’, while protecting jobs and trade links with Europe.

She acknowledg­ed concern about the so-called Irish backstop, which critics fear could leave the UK locked in a customs union for years. But she warned rebel MPs: ‘There is no deal that comes without a backstop, and without a backstop there is no deal.’

Last night Mrs May appeared to have a mountain to climb to win the vote. A Daily Mail survey of 93 Tory MPs who previously voiced doubts about Mrs May’s approach yesterday found that 53 said they would vote against the deal now they had seen it.

The remainder did not respond or indicated they were undecided. None said they would vote for the deal.

Former defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon, a loyalist who backed Remain, indicated that he would not back the deal, even though he accepted that Mrs May had ‘tried her very best’.

Sir Michael said: ‘Are we not, nonetheles­s, being asked to take a huge gamble here: paying, leaving, surrenderi­ng our vote and our veto, without any firm commitment to frictionle­ss trade, or the absolute right to dismantle external tariffs?

‘Is it really wise to trust the future of our economy to a pledge simply to use best endeavours?’

However, Environmen­t Secretary Michael Gove yesterday publicly backed the deal for the first time since it was signed on Sunday, saying: ‘It is very important that we back the Prime Minister. She has secured a good deal for Britain.

‘It will mean we will be able to control our borders, in charge of immigratio­n. We will be outside the Common Fisheries Policy and the Common Agricultur­al Policy, and it provides us with the opportunit­y to forge a brighter future for Britain.’

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also gave his support, saying the PM’s deal represente­d ‘the most realistic prospect of us leaving the EU on March 29 next year’.

Downing Street insisted Mrs May still believed she could win the vote if MPs examine the deal and consider the potential impact of a no-deal Brexit on their constituen­ts.

But senior Tories are now wargaming what to do if she loses. Even some allies fear she could be forced to resign if the deal is defeated by more than 100 votes. Yesterday’s Cabinet meeting was dominated by a discussion of nodeal preparatio­ns, with Home Secretary Sajid Javid telling ministers: ‘We need to be prepared for all consequenc­es and outcomes.’

It came as Tory Euroscepti­c Andrew Lewer became the 25th MP to declare publicly that he had written a formal letter of no confidence in Mrs May, nudging the total closer to the 48 needed to spark a leadership challenge.

The Prime Minister is preparing to travel to Wales and Northern Ireland today as part of a bid to change the public mood on her deal and pressure MPs to toe the line. She insisted the backstop was ‘an insurance policy that no one wants to use’. Mrs May added that anger in the UK over this issue was balanced by concerns in the EU that the arrangemen­t would give UK firms a competitiv­e edge.

She said: ‘I do not pretend that either we or the EU are entirely happy with these arrangemen­ts. And that is how it must be – were either party entirely happy, that party would have no incentive to move on to the future relationsh­ip.

‘But there is no alternativ­e deal that honours our commitment­s to Northern Ireland which does not involve this insurance policy.’

Former minister Nick Herbert hit out at Brexiteer MPs for ‘overblown’ descriptio­ns of the impact of the Irish backstop, which he said could ‘only be temporary’.

Fellow Tory Gary Streeter said it was ‘ironic that those who might be scuppering Brexit are the ones who voted for it in the first place’.

But Mark Francois, deputy leader of the European Research Group, said: ‘I have politely told my whip I will not vote for this even if they put a shotgun in my mouth.’

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Mrs May to abandon her plan and adopt his call for ‘a comprehens­ive customs union and a strong single market deal.’ He added: ‘Ploughing on is not stoic, it is an act of national self-harm’.

‘Being asked to take a huge gamble’

IT took a senior Parliament­arian just nine words to hit the nail squarely on the head regarding Brexit: ‘The country is heartily sick of the political shenanigan­s.’

With laudable succinctne­ss, Baroness Virginia Bottomley, a former Tory health secretary, described the nation’s mood outside Westminste­r – and delivered a pointed message to rebellious Tories.

Following protracted and painful negotiatio­ns, Theresa May finally signed the divorce deal with the EU – a titanic effort under enormous pressure.

In no way does this paper shy away from its flaws – but all other options are immeasurab­ly worse.

On the plus side, it ends free movement and gargantuan membership payments to Brussels, while allowing a smooth exit that does not plunge the country into economic turmoil. So it is imperative that divided Britain – where families and neighbours have been bitterly split – now comes together and accepts compromise in the national interest.

But self-indulgent Tory Brexiteers – including the ‘Dad’s Army’ plotters – have threatened to reject the deal in a Commons vote, in the vain hope of squeezing fresh concession­s from the EU.

They are joined by Remainers who want to scupper Brexit. This is madness. The die-hards on either side must think of the laws of unintended consequenc­es.

If the Prime Minister suffers a crushing defeat, she risks being toppled – with the terrifying prospect of a Marxist government led by Jeremy Corbyn and no Brexit at all.

We, therefore, beseech the malcontent­s to be pragmatic and resist the temptation to needlessly land a free hit on Mrs May.

Despite the ridiculous preening of French president Emmanuel Macron over fishing rights, upon which the SNP’s Ian Blackford seized so gleefully, Mrs May’s deal is a solid building block on which to secure a lucrative free trade arrangemen­t – boosting Britain’s prosperity.

She must reassure the rebels the UK will not suffer death by a thousand cuts and cede more sovereignt­y. But she should also insist they stop bickering – and listen to the public, who want Brexit delivered.

 ??  ?? Strident: Theresa May in the Commons yesterday
Strident: Theresa May in the Commons yesterday

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