May faces revolt against no deal
Ministers threaten to quit unless PM allows them to support backbench effort to thwart hard Brexit
THERESA MAY is being warned by Cabinet ministers that she will face mass resignations unless she allows them to try to stop a no-deal Brexit.
The Prime Minister said yesterday that it was “impossible” to rule out no deal under the terms of Article 50 and said that it was “not in the Government’s power” to do so.
However, as many as 20 mid-ranking ministers have indicated that they are prepared to quit the Government so they can support backbench moves to halt a no-deal Brexit. The Daily Telegraph has learnt that a delegation of five ministers from the group visited the Prime Minister in No 10 yesterday and warned her directly they were prepared to resign.
A Cabinet minister said: “The Prime Minister will come under a lot of pres- sure to give ministers a free vote on it. I think she would be wise to do that because she doesn’t really want people to resign, and there are definitely people who would resign over it.
“It is hard to see the Government defeating it if people vote in line with their views. It damages people’s credibility to have to take a leave of absence to avoid having to vote against something. I don’t think people want to do that.” The row erupted after The Daily Telegraph obtained a leaked recording of a conference call between Philip Hammond and business leaders in which he set out how a backbench Bill could take no deal “off the table”.
He claimed that the Bill, which will be tabled on Monday and would force the Government to extend Article 50, is likely to win support and act as the “ultimate backstop” against a no-deal Brexit. The Chancellor faced a Cabinet backlash yesterday, with one minister describing him as a “rogue element” and accusing him of attempting to “bounce” the Cabinet into abandoning the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.
Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the Commons, warned that taking a nodeal Brexit off the table would be “an incompetent thing to do”.
A Treasury source insisted that Mr Hammond was simply “setting out the facts as they exist” in response to questions from business leaders.
The Prime Minister appeared directly to contradict Mr Hammond’s claim yesterday in a letter to Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, after he refused to take part in cross-party talks on Brexit.
She said: “I note that you have said ‘ruling out’ no deal is a precondition before we can meet, but that is an impossible condition because it is not within the Government’s power to rule out no deal. Let me explain why.
“Under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and the Withdrawal Act 2018, we will leave the EU without a deal on March 29 unless Parliament either agrees a deal with the EU or the UK revokes Article 50 and chooses to stay in the EU permanently.
“So there are two ways to avoid no deal: either vote for a deal, in particular a withdrawal agreement, that has been agreed with the EU, or to revoke Article 50 and overturn the referendum result.”
Mrs May’s comments also appeared to be a criticism of the cross-party Bill tabled by Nick Boles, the Tory MP, which would force the Government to extend Article 50 if a Brexit deal could not be reached by Feb 26. Mr Boles will table a new “streamlined” version of his Bill on Monday in an attempt to ensure it attracts cross-party support.
He said: “I hope the Prime Minister will see fit to hold a free vote to rule out no deal and clear the space for negotiations.” After the ministers met Mrs May, a source said: “The point was made to her that she must not put us in a position where we have to resign in order to vote for something that will stop us crashing out without a deal.”
The Prime Minister held a series of meetings yesterday with Tory MPS and those from other parties in an effort to develop a new Brexit plan. Tory Eurosceptics said their meeting had been “constructive” amid suggestions that Mrs May had ruled out tacking to a customs union. A group of Tories who support a Norway-style Brexit met Mrs May after lunchtime and also said they felt she had been receptive.
However, another source said it sounded as if the Prime Minister had been “all things to all people”. One MP said she had been “like a sphinx”.
Mr Corbyn had ordered his MPS not to take part in Mrs May’s bid to win support for her deal unless no deal was taken off the table. However, he was defied by backbenchers including Yvette Cooper and Hilary Benn.