Brexit ‘mutineers’ hit out at abuse as May appeals for respect
Conservative MPS preparing to rebel on Brexit legislation have hit out at threats and abuse after they were branded “mutineers” on the front page of a national newspaper.
Former minister Anna Soubry revealed she had reported five threatening online messages to the police after the Daily Telegraph printed her photograph and those of 14 colleagues on its front page.
The move was condemned by the Commons speaker John Bercow, and at Prime Minister’s Questions Theresa May tried to bring warring MPS together with a appeal for calm.
The Prime Minister said it was “right and proper” there was a “lively debate” ongoing in Parliament as the EU (Withdrawal) Bill makes its way through the Commons.
East Renfrewshire MP Paul Masterton was among the 15 parliamentarians singled out by the Telegraph. He was defended by his Scottish colleague Andrew Bowie after the Leave.eu campaign labelled the group “a cancer within their party and traitors to their country”.
Posting on twitter, Mr Bowie said the comments were “frankly disgusting, base level politics giving succour to the trolls and haters”. Mr Masterton was cheered by MPS when he rose to ask a question during PMQS.
On the second of eight days of Commons debate on amendments to the Withdrawal Bill, the government narrowly saw off Labour and Green Party amendments to increase parliamentary scrutiny of changes to EU regulations after Brexit, and ring-fence environmental protections.
Following a meeting with Mrs May yesterday, a key ally of Angela Merkel’s said the UK must spell out which financial obligations to the EU it is prepared to honour if European leaders are to give the green light for the second phase of Brexit negotiations to begin next month.
Senior German MEP Manfred Weber said the UK did not have to put a figure on the so-called “divorce bill” ahead of the Brussels summit on December 14 and 15, but he said that the British must make clear which of its outstanding financial obligations it was prepared to accept.
He struck a more positive tone on the possibility of progress in talks than comments earlier this week, prompting speculation that the UK could make concessions on the EU’S request for nearly £60 billion.
“When somebody is leaving the club then such a person or such a member state has to pay the open bill,” Mr Weber said.