Boris must disregard the Tory Remainers

A Remain-voting PM and Chancellor were in charge of Brexit for three years. They drove the country into a cul-de-sac and made it clear to Whitehall that they were not actually committed to leaving the EU at all. Theresa May came up with a Withdrawal Agreement written on the EU’s terms and, not surprisingly, Parliament refused to back it. When Brexit didn’t happen as originally scheduled for March 29, the public, the civil service and the Europeans all assumed this was how things would end. By incompetence or conspiracy, the elite would overcome the referendum and leave Britain stuck in the EU for good.

Now the same Remain forces are arguing that Brexit must be cancelled because of the huge mess that they themselves created. But this would only make things much, much worse. If Boris Johnson were to listen to Philip Hammond and Dominic Grieve, abandon no-deal planning and delay our exit, the Tories would tear themselves apart, the Brexit Party would surge and Jeremy Corbyn would surely win the next general election, or at least be able to govern with support from Leftwing allies. Therefore, there is only one way out of the disaster orchestrated by the Europhiles: to once and for all commit the Tories to Brexit.

Boris must prepare for a no-deal outcome, whatever it takes. He needs to maintain the chance of a deal on October 17, the relevant meeting of the European Council, by when the EU will hopefully realise that Britain is not bluffing. In any event, Britain has to leave on October 31. This can be done in concert with a radical, once-in-a-generation budget that delivers huge tax cuts, along with big changes to infrastructure and science, all so that Britain can lay the foundations for its new, post-EU role. This strategy is the only path to a revival of Conservative fortunes. The idea that a plan by Europhile Tories to put a caretaker PM in power will save British politics is utter madness. It’s no coincidence that it is supported by several Tory Remainers at the end of their parliamentary careers. They have little to lose. For the country, however, everything is at stake.