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Rees-Mogg: topple May now or she will lead Tories into election Rees-Mogg: topple May now or she will lead Tories into election
(about 4 hours later)
Jacob Rees-Mogg has said Conservative MPs must seize their chance to topple Theresa May or face the prospect of her leading the party into the next election, though he denied Eurosceptics had been humiliated by their failure so far to trigger a leadership vote. Jacob Rees-Mogg denied that his attempt to remove Theresa May had ended in humiliation as he called on Conservative MPs to seize their chance to topple the prime minister now or face the prospect of her leading the party into the next election.
Rees-Mogg, the backbench Brexiter who chairs the European Research Group of Eurosceptic MPs, said there were very few of his colleagues who wanted the prime minister to continue to lead the party into 2022. A total of 48 MPs must write to Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the backbenchers’ 1922 Committee in order to trigger a full confidence vote – 15% of the parliamentary party. But six days after May set out her EU withdrawal agreement only 26 MPs have publicly said that they have submitted a letter, leading rebels to privately concede that the move against May is likely to lie dormant until she loses a vote on the deal in parliament.
Asked whether it might prove difficult to secure the 158 votes needed to oust the prime minister in a confidence vote, he said: “I would wait and see about that.” Rees-Mogg admitted that the threshold might not be reached for some time. “Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace,” he said. “We will see what letters come in due time. Do 47 want to come with me or not? I may find that they don’t or they don’t do it today but when we get the meaningful vote. That’s a decision for them.”
“Basically, if there is a vote of confidence it is not just for a year. Getting the 48 letters has shown to be quite difficult, so the idea that in a year you just repeat the process and then she would go at that point I don’t think that is realistic. Rees-Mogg, who chairs the European Research Group of Eurosceptic MPs, appeared to switch his persuasion tactic on Tuesday, a day after his allies had suggested the threshold would be reached.
Asked whether it might prove tricky to oust May in a full confidence vote given the group were struggling to secure 48 names, he said few of his colleagues wanted the prime minister to continue to lead the party into 2022.
“Basically, if there is a vote of confidence it is not just for a year,” he said. “Getting the 48 letters has shown to be quite difficult, so the idea that in a year you just repeat the process and then she would go at that point I don’t think that is realistic.
“I think it is now or the prime minister will lead the Conservatives into the next election. You find MPs privately who will say to you they think that is a really good idea in any number and I would be quite surprised.”“I think it is now or the prime minister will lead the Conservatives into the next election. You find MPs privately who will say to you they think that is a really good idea in any number and I would be quite surprised.”
The number of letters publicly submitted to Brady declaring no confidence in May reached 26 on Monday, well short of the tally needed, though Eurosceptic MPs insisted more had been submitted privately.The number of letters publicly submitted to Brady declaring no confidence in May reached 26 on Monday, well short of the tally needed, though Eurosceptic MPs insisted more had been submitted privately.
A total of 48 MPs must write to Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the backbenchers’ 1922 Committee in order to trigger a full confidence vote – 15% of the parliamentary party. Overnight, critics of the prime minister did little to hide their frustration that a confidence vote had not yet been triggered. Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister and ERG member, suggested that MPs who had promised to submit letters had secretly not done so.
“Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace,” Rees-Mogg said. “We will see what letters come in due time. Do 47 want to come with me or not? I may find that they don’t or they don’t do it today but when we get the meaningful vote. That’s a decision for them.” Rees-Mogg is understood to have met Baker on Monday night for a discussion about the group’s tactics.
Overnight, critics of the prime minister did little to hide their frustration that a confidence vote had not yet been triggered. Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister and ERG member, suggested MPs who had promised to submit letters had secretly not done so. Privately, Brexiter MPs who had put in letters were fuming with the so-called “old guard” of Tory Eurosceptics such as Iain Duncan Smith and Bernard Jenkins, who have so far declined to put in letters of their own.
“They are the ones invited in by Downing Street because they think they are the ones with influence, once they’re inside they get more butter than a crumpet, and then they come out and criticise the deal but they won’t act,” one said.
“Baker is a good organiser but he may have failed this time,” an MP said. “The momentum’s gone. After the meaningful vote is the next opportunity, especially if there’s a chance of her offering concessions to Labour.”
One critic said they were resigned to the prime minister carrying on through the Brexit process unless she could be ousted by the end of December.
“She would have to stay, after that it’s too late, and if you were to have any ballot of the membership, it would have to be over Christmas recess,” they said.
Rees-Mogg insisted he had not predicted that the contest would be triggered this week, and suggested more colleagues would follow if the prime minister loses the vote on her Brexit deal in parliament.Rees-Mogg insisted he had not predicted that the contest would be triggered this week, and suggested more colleagues would follow if the prime minister loses the vote on her Brexit deal in parliament.
“I made no forecast last week about when the letters will come in, we’ll just have to wait and see what people do,” he said. “I haven’t been running a count. What people do is a matter for them.”“I made no forecast last week about when the letters will come in, we’ll just have to wait and see what people do,” he said. “I haven’t been running a count. What people do is a matter for them.”
Asked if his argument against the deal had been weakened by the failure of MPs to submit letters, he said: “It is not about the strength or weakness of the argument, it’s about whether tactically think now is the time to have a vote of confidence. Asked if his argument against the deal had been weakened by the failure of MPs to submit letters, he said: “It is not about the strength or weakness of the argument, it’s about whether, tactically, we think now is the time to have a vote of confidence.
“I’m not making forecasts about when letters will go in. I’ve said what I’ve said, some other people have followed, some people are doing so privately.”“I’m not making forecasts about when letters will go in. I’ve said what I’ve said, some other people have followed, some people are doing so privately.”
Asked if it was a humiliation, Rees-Mogg said: “I think this is exaggerated language, it has been something not everyone wanted to do. That’s political life. Not everyone will always agree with me.” Rees-Mogg denied that the events of the past few days were a humiliation. “I think this is exaggerated language, it has been something not everyone wanted to do. That’s political life. Not everyone will always agree with me.”
Rees-Mogg was speaking at an event convened by the ERG and Brexiter group Global Britain, alongside former Brexit secretary David Davis, where the panel had presented what they claimed were “defeatist” fears about leaving the customs union.
Lord Lilley, the former Conservative cabinet minister and one of the authors of the pamphlet, said: “The proposed EU agreement is the result of defeatist negotiating stemming from a complete lack of understanding about how international trade actually works.
“I spent 10 days incarcerated in the Heysel Stadium negotiating the Uruguay Round, which set up the WTO. Its rules provide the safety net our businesses and consumers need in exactly this sort of situation. It will ensure that the EU will have to trade with the UK on exactly the same terms as it offers its other major trading partners.”
Lilley said that he still believed May could change course. “There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repenteth, than 99 just men with no need to repentance. Let us hope.”
BrexitBrexit
Conservative leadershipConservative leadership
Theresa MayTheresa May
Jacob Rees-MoggJacob Rees-Mogg
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