Leavers swing behind May deal

Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing to bring her Brexit deal back after being told by Leavers she is within sight of victory.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves from 10 Downing Street on March 26, 2019. - Britain's parliament began plotting a new Brexit strategy today after seizing the initiative in the floundering process from Prime Minister Theresa May's government in a historic vote. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing to bring her Brexit deal back to the House of Commons by the end of the week after being told by Leavers that she is within sight of victory.

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson yesterday joined European Research Group chief Jacob Rees-Mogg in warning of growing risks that another ­defeat would mean Britain ­remaining in the EU.

Mrs May has been told, however, that she must promise at a meeting with Tory MPs today to quit before the second stage of Brexit talks. Conservative party chief whip Julian Smith is said to believe that the commitment would ensure that as many as 20 Tory MPs switch sides.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said yesterday: “There is a pretty good chance the Prime Minister’s deal is going to get through.”

He declined to say how he would vote, but opposed the deal on both previous occasions. He said “it would help some” of his fellow holdouts to vote for the deal if Mrs May offered to quit. Asked whether her offer should come sooner or later, he replied: “sooner is definitely on the cards”.

Former Brexit secretary David Davis said today’s indicative votes would show that the ­alternative to Mrs May’s deal was a “cascade of chaos”.

A cross-party group of MPs, led by Tory Oliver Letwin, was to take control of the Commons agenda from the government at 2pm on Wednesday (1am today AEST) in a constitutional first. The MPs were to hold a series of votes to assess support for a range of alternatives to Mrs May’s deal, including a second referendum and a harder Brexit. Mrs May will decide whether to seek to impose the party whip on Tories taking part in the votes.

Backers of a softer Brexit were confident yesterday they could prove they had a Commons majority, as Labour swung behind proposals for Britain to remain in both the customs union and single market.

With Mrs May addressing Tory MPs at a meeting called by the 1922 Committee at 5pm, many expect her to signal that she will step down before trade talks with the EU. A senior Tory said: “That would unlock quite a significant amount of support for the deal.” Some in the ERG ­believe the number of diehard opponents could drop to 15 if Mrs May timetables her departure.

Mrs May’s allies acknowledged a brightening picture but stressed that it remained uncertain whether the Democratic Unionist Party would continue to hold out. Sammy Wilson, the DUP’s Brexit spokesman, said that his party would prefer Brexit to be delayed for a year or more than to be forced into backing her deal.

Downing Street will decide today whether to push a third meaningful vote tomorrow or Friday (Saturday AEST). Mr Smith is being urged to give more time for senior Leave MPs to turn other Brexiteers.

The Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, said that holding a vote on Friday, the original Brexit day, would add symbolic power to the government case.

One normally loyal Conservative MP said of the indicative votes: “The advantage of (the) Letwin (plan) is that it shows my hardline Brexiteer friends the instruments of torture. They can look at the rack and the branding iron of softer forms of Brexit and decide whether or not to finally support her deal … This could help concentrate their minds.”

Mr Rees-Mogg became the latest Brexiteer to fall into line, saying he now faced a choice ­between “Mrs May’s deal or no Brexit”.

Mr Johnson warned there was now a risk “we will not leave at all”. Hinting that he could back the May deal, he said: “If people like me are to support (it) … then we need to see the proof that the second phase of negotiations will be different from the first.” But he added: “I think in the end it is not delivering anything remotely approaching what I believe is right so she has either got to change her ­approach or I will find the deal very hard to support.”

The Times