Tories ‘on the brink of imploding’ over Brexit
THE Tories are on the brink of a historic split, senior Conservatives warned last night, as Brexiteers and Remainers both threatened to torpedo the Government if they did not get their way on Brexit.
Pro-EU MPs claimed that a third of the Cabinet would resign if Theresa May pursued a no-deal Brexit in the face of almost certain defeat over her deal, as they threatened a walkout of backbenchers that would obliterate the Government’s Commons majority.
At the same time, The Sunday Telegraph understands that several senior ministers are agitating Mrs May to immediately open talks with Labour MPs about a compromise involving a permanent customs union if her deal is defeated by a large margin on Tuesday.
One senior Tory said: “A growing number of the Cabinet now think the only feasible option is to tack towards a softer Brexit involving a permanent customs union, in order to get a deal through with Labour votes. Amber [Rudd], David [Gauke], Greg Clark and others have made noises along those lines.” Steve Baker, the deputy chair- man of the European Research Group of Eurosceptics, warned that the move would risk a split akin to the schism prompted by Robert Peel’s repeal of the corn laws. “It’s difficult to see how at least some Conservative MPs would not withdraw confidence in the Government,” he said.
Sir Bernard Jenkin, another senior pro-Leave MP, said if Mrs May departed from the March 29 exit date or struck a deal with Labour for a softer Brexit, “I don’t know what happens to the Conservative Party.”
The warnings underscore the potential magnitude of Tuesday’s vote, amid growing calls for a second referendum or extension of Britain’s EU membership beyond March. One Tory MP said: “We’re heading towards a brick wall at 100mph and are going to be smashed to smithereens.”
Yesterday, talking up the prospect of a vote of no confidence if the deal was blocked, John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said: “It’s now here before us, we could have a socialist prime minister.”
Some 48 hours away from the vote: Backbenchers led by Alex Chalk, a government aide and former barrister, were frantically gathering support for an amendment making approval of the deal conditional on the EU adding a legally binding document to the Withdrawal Agreement that allows the backstop arrangement to finish at the end of 2021 or 2022. They hope the “lifeline” could reduce the scale of defeat on Tuesday and help extract an 11th-hour concession from the EU.
Former ministers, led by Sir Oliver Letwin, who were behind an attempt last week to curb the Government’s powers in the event of no deal were said to have devised a new “mechanism” that they believed would allow the
Commons to categorically remove the option of walking away. Last night it was reported one plan would allow backbenchers to seize control of the entire Commons agenda, potentially allowing MPs to put Brexit on hold.
Dominic Raab, the former Brexit secretary, writes in today’s newspaper that MPs must vote down the deal to “send a clear message to Brussels that the UK will not be bullied”. On Tuesday, Mr Raab will unite with David Davis and Arlene Foster, the leader of the DUP, at a panel event to speak about their alternatives to Mrs May’s plan.
Sources inside and outside of govern- ment said several Cabinet ministers would lead a push as early as this week for a softer Brexit that could draw the support of Labour MPs, if Mrs May’s deal was defeated by a significant margin.
A government source said: “If we have a significant defeat, people like David and Amber will argue that because of the scale of the defeat no amount of additional assurance from the commission will get it over the line and, therefore, we should reach across the House and have a permanent customs union. But we would also need regulatory alignment to resolve the border problem. The commission would be likely to say it will only offer those things at a price of freedom of movement. So gradually we would be heading back towards something resembling EU membership.”
Separately, one senior pro-Remain figure said if Mrs May pursued a nodeal exit “then I’m afraid the Government would fall. She would lose a third of her Cabinet and very, very many colleagues have already said to me that they would resign the whip.”
Last night it also emerged that Dominic Grieve, one of the pro-Remain rebels, visited John Bercow in his official residence shortly before the Speaker broke with Commons precedents to allow Mr Grieve’s motion to be voted on.