Amber Rudd: I had no choice but to abstain

AMBER RUDD has written to her constituents to explain why she defied her party whips to abstain rather than vote to keep a no-deal Brexit on the table.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told her constituents in pro-brexit Hastings and Rye she believed leaving the EU without a deal would have done “generational damage to our economy and security”.

She added: “It is a mistake to leave the EU without a deal, but it is right to prepare to do so, just in case, so we can mitigate any damage as best as we can.”

Despite calls by some Tory MPS for the sacking of 13 ministers who abstained, Ms Rudd said she had done so because it was “the only opportunity to vote to prevent no deal at the end of this month” and said it was “completely consistent” with government policy.

Ms Rudd was joined by Greg Clark, the Business Secretary, and David Gauke, the Justice Secretary, last month in publicly warning that Brexit should be delayed if Parliament failed to approve a deal. They said they would be prepared to defy Theresa May and vote for a delay rather than crash out on March 29 without a deal.

In her letter to her constituents, who voted 55 per cent in favour of Leave and 45 per cent for Remain, Ms Rudd said MPS had been told the Prime Minister’s motion to take no deal off the table would be a free vote.

However, she said that a motion ruling out a no-deal Brexit “at any time” had then passed, forcing her into a position where she felt she had to abstain on Mrs May’s motion when it was whipped.

“Next time I can vote to leave the EU I will do so once again. This will be the third time I have voted to leave,” she said. “The fallout now means that unless Parliament backs a deal, we will be forced to have an extension granted to us by the EU to avoiding crashing out with no deal – something that was totally unavoidable.

“This is because if Brexit is unfortunately delayed after today’s votes, it is because many of my colleagues in the Commons have refused to join those of us who have consistently voted for the Prime Minister’s good deal, which will deliver the best possible exit from the EU.”

Ms Rudd also voted against a Malthouse Compromise amendment to delay Brexit until May 22 and then leave the EU without a full agreement in place, which failed.

‘It is a mistake to leave the EU without a deal, but it is right to prepare to do so’