MPS URGED TO BACK DEAL
Political editor JUST one North East MP has said they will vote for Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal.
Guy Opperman, the MP for Hexham in Northumberland, says he plans to back the Prime Minister when the House of Commons holds its historic vote on December 11.
But no other MPs in the region have come out in support of Mrs May.
Westminster insiders predict the Prime Minister is heading for a devastating defeat when MPs vote on her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
The panel on the opposite page shows the full list of how North East MPs intend to vote.
But it’s unclear what will happen after that, and Mrs May said last week that refusing to approve her plans would lead to “chaos and uncertainty.”
Even two Conservative MPs in the region – Anne-Marie Trevelyan, MP for Berwick, and Simon Clarke, MP for M i d d l e s b r o u g h South and Cleveland East – are opposing the Withdrawal Agreement.
And the region’s Labour MPs are more or less united in opposition – although a few, such as Houghton and S u n d e r l a n d South MP Bridget Phillipson, say they might be per- Guy Opperman suaded to back Mrs May if she agrees to hold a second referendum on Brexit, or a so-called People’s Vote. Mrs May has insisted she has no intention of doing this. Mr Opperman claimed colleagues who fail to back the Prime Minister are putting the economy at risk. He said: “The deal is a pragmatic resolution that delivers on the result of the referendum and stops unlimited immigration. But it also preserves our economy and supports jobs. “The alternatives are not attractive. “The MPs who call for a second referendum are proposing a 3-4 question multiple choice second ballot. It is utterly unworkable. And will be very disruptive to our democracy. “There are also clear risks of an economic downturn with exiting