Monday, 17 Jun 2024

Theresa May could quit tomorrow as Britain hurtles towards General Election chaos to break Brexit deadlock

THERESA May could quit as soon as tomorrow after Brexit chaos continued to get worse – putting Britain on course for a snap General Election.

The PM has summoned all Tory MPs to grill her in a closed-doors Commons meeting tomorrow night.

Westminster insiders believe she could use the 1922 Committee meeting to lay out a timetable for her resignation in a last-ditch bid to get her Brexit deal over the line.

The desperate gambit comes after Remainer MPs grabbed control of the Government and won the right to decide what they want to happen next.

Ministers are now openly discussing the possibility of dissolving Parliament and heading for an early election.

They fear that will be the only way to break the deadlock and find a majority of MPs who can get behind a solution to Brexit.

The Cabinet yesterday debated the possibility of holding a third election within four years.

Andrea Leadsom and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay both warned that if Theresa May doesn't get her deal through the Commons soon, an election will become inevitable.

It could come either through the PM losing a no-confidence vote, or by calling a snap poll herself in a bid to get public support for her deal and avoid a long delay to Brexit.

Ministers fear that if Mrs May doesn't take the initiative, Jeremy Corbyn could replace her in No10 within weeks.

A source told the Daily Mail: "We'll either lose a confidence vote – in which case you could even get Corbyn without an election – or we will be forced to go for an election ourselves."

Another insider added: "It's not just scaremongering, it's the only way out of this."

The PM has also fallen out with her DUP allies – crucial to upholding her majority in Parliament.

Senior backbencher John Baron said: "It may be that an election is necessary to redress the balance in favour of MPs willing to implement the referendum result."

But in a boost for Mrs May, Jacob Rees-Mogg finally admitted he'll be forced to support her deal when it returns to the Commons.

GOING SOFT

Tomorrow MPs will stage "indicative votes" on a range of different Brexit outcomes as Mrs May's deal continues to struggle for support.

It comes after 30 Tory MPs – including three ministers – defied the PM and voted to take control of the Commons timetable late last night.

In another hint an election could be close, Mrs Leadsom warned this morning that the Government may not be able to carry out the will of Parliament because MPs could back an impossible solution.

She said: "Parliament will set out its views, and as Government we can't necessarily deliver on it."

But Health Secretary Matt Hancock sought to dampen election speculation, saying: "We need to get on and deliver on Brexit and a General Election would only delay things further."

MPs backed Oliver Letwin's amendment by 329 votes to 302 in a serious blow to the PM's authority.

It will mean that wounded Mrs May is forced to hand over control of the order paper to them on Wednesday to try and work out a way forward.

Brexiteer Suella Braverman told BBC Newsnight: "Tonight we've seen a Parliamentary massacre."

Priti Patel said it was another example of the political class "promising one thing and delivering another".

"Trust in politics is broken," she said.

And almost immediately MPs who want a second referendum called yet again for Parliament to overturn the result of the historic 2016 referendum vote.

Trust in politics is broken

A spokesman for the Brexit department said it was "disappointing" to see the amendment pass, and pleaded with MPs to come to a realistic outcome when the Commons debates the way forward in just two days time.

They added: "This amendment instead upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future.

"While it is now up to Parliament to set out next steps in respect of this amendment, the Government will continue to call for realism – any options considered must be deliverable in negotiations with the EU.

"Parliament should take account of how long these negotiations would take, and if they’d require a longer extension which would mean holding European Parliamentary elections."

Jeremy Corbyn congratulated the House of Commons for taking control off the PM and throwing Parliament into more chaos, and said: "Where this government has failed this House has and must, succeed."

MPs could end up forcing through a second referendum or even try to reverse Brexit altogether.

Alternative Brexit options are expected to include a number of softer options including:

  • Staying in the customs union
  • A second Brexit referendum
  • Revoking Article 50 and cancelling Brexit
  • A Canada-style trade deal
  • Common market deal by staying in the single market (similar to the European Economic Area)

But any softer Brexit option risks destroying the Conservative party.

What happens next after MPs' massive power grab?

LAST night's Commons rebellion is an unprecedented power grab which paves the way for a much softer Brexit.

For the first time in more than 100 years, the Government has lost control of what happens in the House of Commons.

Instead, backbench MPs will decide the order of business in Parliament tomorrow and stage a series of "indicative votes" on a range of possible Brexit outcomes.

They are also threatening to extend their power grab on future days – and may find a way to make the votes legally binding.

The most likely outcome of the indicative votes is expected to be a softer Brexit, keeping Britain in the EU's customs union and possibly single market too.

Although that would not be binding on the Government, Mrs May would come under intense pressure to follow the will of Parliament.

If the Commons does back a soft Brexit, the PM could use that as leverage against her rebellious MPs.

They could fall in behind Mrs May's deal this week or next, when it becomes clear that they have a choice between that and a much softer outcome.

Otherwise, Britain is heading for a Brexit scenario which would see the UK closely tied to Brussels for years to come.

Any significant change to the existing deal would probably take months to negotiate – meaning Britain would have to hold European Parliament elections in May.

The next major deadline is April 12, by which time Britain will have to request a long extension to the EU, pass Mrs May's deal or crash out with No Deal – which most MPs have vowed to block at any cost.

The PM is still planning to bring her deal back to the Commons for a third time, possibly after showing Brexiteers what the risk would be in an attempt to force them to vote for her deal.

But there's not enough support to bring it back "as things stand" at the moment.

Yesterday Tory MPs called for her to step down, even if she does get her deal through Parliament in the next few days.




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