Ministers fear Eurosceptic attempt to hijack legally binding Commons vote
Delay on ‘deal or no deal’ option over fears Brexiteers could use it for their own ends
and MINISTERS are holding back from offering pro-European rebels a legally binding vote on the future Brexit deal amid fears it could be hijacked by hardline Brexiteers seeking a “clean break” from Brussels.
David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, is to offer MPs a “deal or no deal” vote giving them the option of accepting the outcome of negotiations or sending the UK out of the EU without any trade deal in place.
But a Government source admitted that one of the “unintended consequences” of the legislation could be a revolt by Eurosceptic Tory MPs determined to leave the EU without a deal.
One pro-European MP said they understood that this was the “sticking point” preventing ministers from setting out an offer of a binding vote for Remain-supporting Tories, who have warned the Government that they are “deadly serious” about a rebellion.
An eleventh-hour revolt by Eurosceptics could give ministers a political headache when they are attempting to sell a deal to the public – although it would be highly unlikely to attract the numbers necessary to affect a Commons vote.
Ministers are also believed to be preparing to offer concessions over the socalled “Henry VIII powers” in its EU Withdrawal Bill, which would allow the Government to push through changes to legislation without full parliamentary scrutiny.
Pro-Remain Tories have forced the Government’s hand over the issue of a binding vote on the Brexit deal by backing an amendment to the Bill that would ensure Parliament had the final say. The amendment was tabled by a group including Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general, Ken Clarke, the former chancellor, and Nicky Morgan, who was education secretary under David Cameron.
A Government source said: “We know we have to compromise on this – they have the numbers to defeat us. But we won’t be going back to the negotiating table – it will be a case of take it or leave it.” The source admitted that one of the “unintended consequences” of the legislation could be a revolt by Eurosceptic Tory MPs determined to leave the EU with a “clean break”.
A pro-European MP said that consideration of the “difficulty with hard Brexiteers” appeared to be holding up the process of offering the rebels a statutory vote.
The disclosure came after Mrs Morgan, the chairman of the Treasury select committee, told Mr Davis on the floor of the Commons last week that she and her colleagues were “deadly serious” about rebelling over the issue.
However the Government’s potential difficulty is highlighted by the recent public interventions of several Eurosceptic Conservatives increasingly making the case for leaving the EU without a deal if Brussels fails to offer satisfactory terms.
John Redwood, the former trade secretary, has warned that “the UK must stop negotiating with itself ”, adding: “It is not a petitioner in a weak position. We can just leave.”
Mr Redwood said the benefits of leaving without a deal would include spending the “savings” on “our priorities”, “remov[ing] VAT from items we do not want to charge it on but have to such as energy bills”, and passing laws “we want on everything from animal welfare to energy to transport to meet our own needs and high standards.”
Last week Peter Bone, another Tory Eurosceptic, asked ministers to put a “firm date” such as November 2018 into the bill as a deadline for reaching an agreement with Brussels, after which Britain would walk away.
The rebels have consistently been told by ministers that Parliament will be given a “meaningful” vote on the Brexit deal, but they insist it should be made legally binding by being included in the Withdrawal Bill.
Last week Mr Davis was forced into a climbdown after saying that Parliament may not be given a vote until after it leaves the EU in March 2019, because Brussels may leave its decision on a deal to “the 59th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day”.
His comments prompted a furious response from pro-European Tory MPs, who said that a vote after Brexit would be meaningless and “absolutely unacceptable”.
An hour later Theresa May told MPs she was “confident” they would get a vote before Britain left the EU.