Remain MPS must back their country
There is another glimmer of hope for a Brexit deal: Boris Johnson is sending his top Brexit adviser to Brussels tomorrow, saying that the EU wants to get things done. As well they should. The PM’S charm offensive at Biarritz has shown them that he is a reasonable man, but he has also stressed that Parliament cannot stop Britain from leaving the EU on October 31 without a deal. Whether this proves true or not we shall see; but what has certainly changed is that if Remainers do seek to engage in parliamentary chicanery, this is a Government that will fight back. Unlike Theresa May, Mr Johnson is serious about his exit date because he is serious about Brexit.
On top of that, Remain MPS have not equipped themselves well. They’re meeting today to discuss how to oppose a no-deal outcome and one big idea is a vote of no-confidence, leading to an emergency government. But who would lead it? Jeremy Corbyn has the best claim, being leader of the opposition, but he’s not popular with his own MPS, let alone the Tory Remainers necessary to knit a coalition together. The bigger question is what on earth Remainers would do with such a government beyond extending Article 50. If they really wanted to get a deal, literally any deal, then they could have just voted for Mrs May’s Withdrawal Agreement – but they didn’t.
The only way to get a better agreement than Mrs May’s, as the PM argues, is to threaten the EU with walking away from the table, which is why Britain is stepping up preparations for a no-deal scenario to force the EU to take Mr Johnson seriously. If Remainers want to leave the EU in an orderly manner, as Mr Johnson does, then it’s time they put aside personal ambition and backed the Government. Any MP who refuses to do so isn’t really interested in an orderly Brexit: they want to stop Brexit altogether. If anyone is taking the UK to the edge, it is they.
The reputation of Parliament itself is at stake. Is it a genuinely representative body that seeks to reflect the will of the people or an elected oligarchy that listens, then ignores? Will its procedures be marked by fairness and clarity, or constitutional sleight of hand? And can it ultimately do its job? As Mr Johnson said yesterday, the public has already voted by a substantial majority to leave the EU. The Government is acting to see that through; the EU is forced to talk. It’s time for Remain MPS to come to the aid of their country.