Reckless rebels who put Brexit in peril
WHEN are the Brexit purists on the Tory backbenches going to come to their senses? The Mail asks because this week it became abundantly clear their plan was in ruins.
Hardliners in the European Research Group have long claimed that voting against Theresa May’s deal would do nothing to imperil Brexit. Indeed, they argued that no-deal would in all likelihood follow automatically (and to hell with the economic consequences).
How can they cling on to that claim now, after a week in which the cold, hard arithmetic of the Remainer-dominated Commons became so clear? Twice in as many days the Government lost votes to Labour MPs and Tory Remainers intent on stopping no-deal, aided and abetted by Commons speaker John Bercow.
Evidently, he will do everything in his power to assist this emerging alliance, even if it means ignoring constitutional precedent and disgracing his office.
As Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt argued yesterday, the obvious conclusion is that rejecting the deal will not deliver no-deal but result in ‘Brexit paralysis’ – and could ultimately mean no Brexit at all.
But the Tory rebels don’t have to take his word for it. The bookmakers and the markets see both a softer Brexit – or none at all – as increasingly likely. And yesterday two of the biggest donors to the Leave campaign also predicted Britain would end up staying in the EU.
Under the circumstances, who could blame Mrs May for reaching out across the Commons to try to secure support from pro-Leave Labour MPs and trade unions? Yes, this is a path fraught with risk, and any concessions on the customs union would be painful indeed to swallow.
But the Prime Minister has strained every sinew to satisfy the arch-Brexiteers, to no avail. What choice does she have?
True, the deal is imperfect, but it is still the best on the table. With the Remainers in the ascendancy, the rebels must consider whether they prefer it to one redrawn to satisfy Labour. The Mail hopes that in the next two days at least some start to see the writing on the wall.