Expectation of PM’S exit turns to anger as ‘sofa goes against door’
After May’s plea for her political life fell on deaf ears and Leadsom resignation dealt another blow, backbenchers were dismayed to find leader could still not be budged
THE empty green benches behind Theresa May said it all. Conservative MPS had voted with their feet. The Prime Minister had never looked more alone.
As she took to the despatch box pleading for her Withdrawal Agreement Bill and, with it, her political life, a Cabinet mutiny was already under way, with Andrea Leadsom, then Leader of the Commons, top of the resignation watch list along with Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary.
Both were conspicuous by their absence from the front bench during Prime Minister’s Questions along with fellow pizza plotters Michael Gove, Liam Fox and Liz Truss. (Typically, it later emerged Mr Grayling was in the wrong place at the wrong time, attending a transport conference in Leipzig).
Fellow Brexiteer Geoffrey Cox also arrived late, along with re-leaver Sajid Javid and Julian Smith, the chief whip, who had earlier warned the Prime Minister she was “staring down the barrel of defeat” with her “new Brexit deal”.
Elsewhere in the chamber, Boris Johnson was nowhere to be seen for the first 10 minutes and left after a quarter of an hour. Jacob Rees-mogg also arrived late. A coincidence?
When Mrs Leadsom – said to be “furious” over Mrs May’s second referendum capitulation – returned 40 minutes into the session, she was soon spotted deep in conversation with Mr Smith. Neither looked particularly cheery. The former leadership candidate – and future contender to replace Mrs May – finally ended up falling on her sword shortly after 7.30pm, tweeting a resignation letter which urged the Prime Minister to “make the right decisions in the interests of the country, this government and our party”. As the mother of three was considering her position, another Brexit statement followed, with Mrs May churning out now all-too-familiar catchphrases, including “my deal is the only way that we can deliver Brexit”, and somewhat ironically from the Queen of Can-kicking: “In the end our job in this House is to take decisions, not to duck them.”
As Mrs May was being whisked back to Downing Street, appearing a little teary-eyed, some of her loyalist lieutenants were lining up to read her the last rites.
The end appeared nigh on Twitter, with respected lobby hacks openly questioning whether Mrs May would be able to make it to Monday’s European Election results – forecast to be “utter annihilation” for the Tories.
David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, was the first to poke his head above the parapet, with a source telling The Telegraph his main concern was the idea of a second Brexit vote giving rise to Nationalist calls for Indyref2, echoing the fears of Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, was also lined up to meet the Prime Minister, while sources close to Mr Javid, the Home Secretary, suggested he also planned to push her to remove the second referendum requirement from the Bill. But the meetings never materialised, inexplicably axed at the last minute by Mrs May as her premiership teetered on the brink.
To say Cabinet ministers were angry appeared an understatement as one, summing up the mood among the Brexiteers, raged: “We were lied to. What we agreed at Cabinet was not translated into Wednesday’s speech – quite the opposite.”
Article 36 of the Bill had apparently caused the most offence, explicitly setting out a path to a second referendum via an amended motion.
By now, Mrs Leadsom had already signalled to Cabinet colleagues that she could not vote for the bill, along with Ms Truss, while Mr Gove and Dr Fox were still arguing the toss over whether Mrs May should be urged to pull the vote rather than resign – seemingly failing to realise that both amounted to the same thing. The Environment Secretary was said to have had a pivotal role in trying to coordinate a united response but it was not enough to convince Mrs Leadsom.
Nor was it enough for some MPS, with one describing the frustration of backbenchers, saying: “The Cabinet have been completely spineless”.
Clearly Mrs Leadsom had timed her exit to preserve her integrity with the Conservative colleagues she will soon be counting on for support in a forthcoming leadership contest.
The executive of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPS was just about to meet at 4pm, when an MP dashed in to hand chairman Sir Graham Brady yet another letter of no confidence in Mrs May. It wasn’t the only one, with Tim Loughton tweeting a picture of his handwritten envelope, and another
‘Her own party doesn’t want her deal. And now even the pro-brexit Labour front bench don’t want her deal. The game is up’
Conservative colleague, who wished to remain anonymous, revealing to The Telegraph they had also put pen to paper: “I’m as loyal as they come but she’s got to go now. Immediately.”
As junior ministers prepared to give the Prime Minister their own ultimatum – “either she goes or we do” – the whip’s office was forced into handing out advice on the best way to write to Sir Graham, to those still serving in government. “Many on the payroll have already had more than enough,” revealed one.
Speculation that the 1922 executive had agreed to change party rules, allowing a second leadership challenge within 12 months, reached fever pitch as the meeting was adjourned for a 5.30pm conflab with the Chief Whip.
MPS were then told to reassemble at 6pm to hear the Prime Minister’s fate.
Had something finally changed for Mrs May?
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, did not appear hopeful, mischievously describing the Prime Minister as having “the sofa up against the door”, adding: “She’s not leaving.” A
Downing Street spokesman went into full bunker mode just before 6pm, pouring cold water on claims Mrs May was planning a Downing Street statement ahead of 10pm news bulletins.
It came as the Chief Whip dutifully called the 1922’s bluff, confirming that the Prime Minister wasn’t going anywhere – although she was spotted leaving Downing Street about 12 minutes later to attend a pre-arranged meeting with the Queen.
Meanwhile, the mood among Tory MPS grew increasingly frustrated as the 1922 reconvened, only for Sir Graham to reveal they had taken no decision on changing the rules after all. “She’s in ‘nothing has changed’ mode, even now!” raged one backbencher.
The talk of the Commons tea room had been to force Mrs May out last night in a bid to give Conservatives another couple of per cent in today’s election. Now many fear an even more calamitous defeat, with the Prime Minister scheduled to meet Sir Graham once the dust settles Friday, with Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party projected to win a 37 per cent share of the vote, pushing the Conservatives into fifth or even sixth place.
The day began with as much uncertainty as it ended. Would the vote on the Bill even happen now? Although sent in to bat by the Government, Mr Gove could not even be certain as he refused to guarantee the legislation would come to the Commons in the week beginning June 3, as had previously been promised.
“We will reflect over the course of the next few days,” he insisted.
Jeremy Wright, the Culture Secretary, was similarly skewered on Emma Barnett’s 5 Live radio show, being unable to either confirm whether there would be a vote, or if the Government would win it, with 75 Tory MPS now planning to rebel after branding Mrs May’s speech “a ----ing disaster”.
No wonder then, that there were so many empty seats at PMQS as Jeremy Corbyn once again failed to score in an open goal. Mrs May continued to trot out the same old lines, even referencing the “there’s no money left” note written by Liam Byrne, the Labour former chief secretary to the Treasury, in 2010.
SNP leader Ian Blackford was the only Opposition MP to land any blows, telling Mrs May she was “fooling nobody but herself”. Pointing to the Tory backbenches, he added: “Her own party doesn’t want her deal. Now even the pro-brexit Labour front bench don’t want her deal. The game is up.”
Mindful that Mrs May would be making a statement about her new Brexit deal straight afterwards, Tory MPS largely avoided the B-word at PMQS, preferring instead to coordinate efforts around questioning the wisdom of prosecuting former soldiers who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
Mr Duncan Smith led the charge, with fellow Brexiteer and former Northern Ireland secretary Owen Paterson piling on the pressure along with ex-army officer Johnny Mercer.
Seemingly dissatisfied with the Prime Minister’s answers, Mark Francois signalled to the press gallery, shaking his head and running his finger along his throat like a knife.
The gesture is often used to signify “the end”, but despite losing her 36th minister, Mrs May once again lived to fight another day.