Brexit: UK cabinet plotters doing the numbers to oust ‘erratic’ May

Senior MPs say embattled leader Theresa May must stand down, warning she has become toxic and her judgment is “haywire”.

Protesters fill the streets around Whitehall at the weekend. Picture: Getty Images

British Prime Minister Theresa May has summoned leading Brexiteers in a crisis meeting at her country retreat Chequers as she fights off a Cabinet coup.

Senior ministers have moved to oust Ms May and replace her with her deputy, David Lidington.

In a frantic series of private telephone calls, senior ministers agreed the Prime Minister must announce she is standing down, warning that she has become a toxic and “erratic” figure whose judgment has “gone haywire”.

Just hours before the Chequers showdown, her Cabinet office minister David Lidington and the Environment Secretary Michael Gove — who has the ignominious history of stabbing his close friend Boris Johnson in the back in a 2016 leadership contest — denied any Prime ministerial ambitions.

Mr Gove said: “It is not the time to change the captain of the ship”, while Mr Lidington specifically denied any wish to take over.

Mr Lidington said: “I tell you this: one thing that working closely with the prime minister does is cure you completely of any lingering shred of ambition to want to do that task.”

Both men were at Chequers alongside Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg,Dominic Raab, Iain Duncan Smith and Steve Baker as well as the Chief Whip Julian Smith.

The Chequers meeting planned to work out how Mrs May can manoeuvre through the parliamentary conundrum over Brexit.

Downing Street has issued a statement saying: “The (Chequers) meeting discussed a range of issues, including whether there is sufficient support in the Commons to bring back a Meaningful Vote this week” and added that there would be no further comment.”

Deputy PM David Lidington. Picture: AFP

Forces move against May

As up to a million people marched on the streets of London against Brexit on Saturday, Mrs May’s fate was being decided elsewhere, The Times reports.

The Sunday Times spoke to 11 cabinet ministers who confirmed they wanted Mrs May to make way for someone else.

The plotters plan to confront Mrs May at a cabinet meeting tonight and demand that she announce she is quitting. If she refuses, they will threaten mass resignations or publicly demand her head.

Yesterday, the conspirators were locked in talks to try to reach a consensus deal on a new prime minister so there does not have to be a protracted leadership contest. At least six ministers are supportive of installing Mr Lidington, the de facto deputy prime minister, as a caretaker in No 10 to deliver Brexit and then make way for a full leadership contest in the northern autumn.

Mr Lidington’s supporters include cabinet Remainers Greg Clark, Amber Rudd and David Gauke. Chancellor Philip Hammond also believes Mr Lidington should take over if Mrs May refuses this week to seek a new consensus deal on Brexit.

Crucially, Home Secretary Sajid Javid has agreed to put his own leadership ambitions on hold until the autumn to clear the way for Mr Lidington, as long as his main rivals do the same.

Mr Lidington is understood not to be pressing for the top job but is prepared to take over if that is the will of cabinet. He would agree not to stand in the contest to find a permanent leader.

A cabinet source said: “David’s job would be to secure an extension with the EU, find a consensus for a new Brexit policy and then arrange an orderly transition to a new leader.”

However, others called for Environment Secretary Michael Gove or Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to take charge instead. Mr Hunt does not support Mr Lidington because he believes he would do a deal with Labour to take Britain into a permanent customs union with the EU, although he has lost confidence in Mrs May’s ability to take advice or deliver the deal. Mr Lidington’s friends want him to pledge to allow the cabinet to decide Brexit policy in order to get Mr Hunt and Mr Gove on board, urging the three cabinet heavyweights to work together to take control of the government.

Mr Gove has a leadership team in place and supporters who have been recruited in a series of secret dinners hosted by Treasury Minister Mel Stride. Mr Gove is prepared to support Mr Lidington if others do but is sceptical that agreement will be reached.

The coup erupted after a week of mistakes by Mrs May, who delivered a television statement that alienated the MPs whose support she needs for her Brexit deal and then flirted with backing a no-deal before performing a U-turn.

One cabinet minister said: “The end is nigh. She won’t be prime minister in 10 days’ time”. A second said: “Her judgment has started to go haywire. You can’t be a member of the cabinet who just puts your head in the sand.”

Concerns about Mrs May’s mental and physical resilience are widely shared. Officials in parliament were so concerned about the Prime Minister’s welfare they drew up a protocol to extract her from the House of Commons if she collapsed at the dispatch box.

Downing Street sources say Mrs May has not yet come to the conclusion that she should resign and is still being encouraged by her husband, Philip, to fight on.

But she has also lost the confidence of key allies whose job it is to maintain party discipline. Chief Whip Julian Smith believes there is no prospect of the Prime Minister winning support for her deal unless she announces that she is standing down so the second phase of Brexit negotiations can be conducted by a new leader.

He told Mrs May last week that she should offer to go in the summer. Mr Smith and other senior Tories believe Mrs May’s resignation is a prerequisite to securing the support of key Brexiteers Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and Jacob Rees-Mogg for the deal, without whom it is doomed to defeat. Mr Johnson withheld his support despite two meetings with Mrs May last week at which the Prime Minister repeatedly refused to rule out calling a snap election as a last-ditch attempt to save her skin.

Additional reporting: The Sunday Times