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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Top Tories under pressure to oppose May’s Brexit deal | Top Tories under pressure to oppose May’s Brexit deal |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Tory leadership candidates from Boris Johnson to Dominic Raab are under pressure from the party’s right to oppose Theresa May’s Brexit deal in any further vote, raising the prospect that she could be defeated by an even bigger margin than previously. | |
| May is considering bringing forward the withdrawal agreement bill (WAB) within the next two weeks, but the mood of Conservative MPs is hardening against it once again. Labour is also minded to vote against it at second reading. | |
| A number of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs are already planning to switch back to rejecting May’s deal – adding to the 28 leavers and six remainers from the party who held out against it last time. Tory MPs said support for May’s deal was “peeling off” as the prime minister’s power was ebbing away and they wanted to show their members and constituents they were serious about a hard Brexit. | A number of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs are already planning to switch back to rejecting May’s deal – adding to the 28 leavers and six remainers from the party who held out against it last time. Tory MPs said support for May’s deal was “peeling off” as the prime minister’s power was ebbing away and they wanted to show their members and constituents they were serious about a hard Brexit. |
| Neither Johnson nor Raab would confirm on Monday that they would vote for the bill whenever it was brought forward. | |
| At the time of the last vote, Raab kept his options open, telling the Commons that his support was for this specific motion only. He said then: “I will vote for the motion. I do so without prejudice to my position on the section 13 meaningful vote, and to achieve two essential outcomes: to stave off a longer extension and to prevent European elections from being held in May.” | |
| Eurosceptic Steve Baker indicated over the weekend that he would stand in the leadership contest if there was no other candidate who clearly opposed the withdrawal agreement, suggesting that Raab and Johnson could be outflanked on the right unless they take a position against it. If Baker does not stand, another of the 28 “Brexit ultras” is likely to put themselves forward. | Eurosceptic Steve Baker indicated over the weekend that he would stand in the leadership contest if there was no other candidate who clearly opposed the withdrawal agreement, suggesting that Raab and Johnson could be outflanked on the right unless they take a position against it. If Baker does not stand, another of the 28 “Brexit ultras” is likely to put themselves forward. |
| Other Tory MPs suggested that May’s agreement was growing more unpopular daily as polls demonstrate the extent of support for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, which is endorsing a no-deal position. | Other Tory MPs suggested that May’s agreement was growing more unpopular daily as polls demonstrate the extent of support for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, which is endorsing a no-deal position. |
| Michael Fabricant, a Conservative MP who switched to voting for the deal last time, said: “Without the support of the Democratic Unionist party, I think it highly unlikely that I would wish to vote for the withdrawal agreement if it came back for a fourth time.” | |
| Another Conservative MP said the whips had warned No 10 that “a lot of MPs who supported it the third time round won’t be supporting it again”. Richard Drax, a Conservative MP, has previously issued a mea culpa saying he felt “utterly ashamed” of himself for voting for May’s deal last time. | Another Conservative MP said the whips had warned No 10 that “a lot of MPs who supported it the third time round won’t be supporting it again”. Richard Drax, a Conservative MP, has previously issued a mea culpa saying he felt “utterly ashamed” of himself for voting for May’s deal last time. |
| However, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chair of the pro-Brexit European Research Group and backer of Johnson, told LBC radio on Monday that he could still vote for May’s deal if it ever came back to the Commons, as he would still rather see it pass than risk having Brexit cancelled. | However, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chair of the pro-Brexit European Research Group and backer of Johnson, told LBC radio on Monday that he could still vote for May’s deal if it ever came back to the Commons, as he would still rather see it pass than risk having Brexit cancelled. |
| May is still deciding when to bring forward the WAB – the legislation that takes the UK out of the EU – but last week indicated to Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, that she would do so before the European elections. | |
| Such is the concern about support draining away from the deal, that ministers have discussed breaking up the legislation, into what one government source called “bite-sized WABs”, in a bid to ratify less controversial aspects. | |
| The aim would be to demonstrate some progress in delivering Brexit – hopefully before polling day, though ministers are increasingly pessimistic about meeting that deadline. | |
| Such a move would be likely to be regarded with exasperation by Britain’s EU negotiating partners, who signed off on the withdrawal agreement as a package. | |
| Conservative MPs were braced for the bill to appear on Thursday as they were told it would be a three-line whip, but that prospect receded as it was downgraded to a one-line whip. | |
| Talks with Labour continued into Monday evening, with Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, saying this was a “crunch week”. Cabinet is expected to discuss whether to press ahead with any more negotiations or move to a series of parliamentary votes with a binding outcome – being called “definitive votes”. | |
| Both sides signalled that no substantive progress had been made after the negotiations broke up once again without agreement. | |
| “Today’s meeting took stock across the range of issues discussed in talks over the last few weeks,” said a Downing Street spokesperson. “We continue to seek to agree a way forward in order to secure our orderly withdrawal from the EU.” | |
| “Talks continued tonight and the Shadow Cabinet and the trades unions will be updated,” a Labour spokesperson said. | |
| Labour has become increasingly concerned about the fragility of May’s leadership, and the threat it presents to any deal being deliverable. | |
| And like May, Jeremy Corbyn is constrained by his backbenchers. He came under pressure from MPs at the weekly meeting of the parliamentary Labour party on Monday night over what several claimed was the party’s unclear stance on Brexit, and lacklustre approach to the European election campaign. | |
| Some in Labour are keen to make a deal but Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, warned in the Guardian on Monday that about 150 Labour MPs would be unlikely to back it without a second referendum, which May has ruled out. | Some in Labour are keen to make a deal but Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, warned in the Guardian on Monday that about 150 Labour MPs would be unlikely to back it without a second referendum, which May has ruled out. |
| Even if no clear Tory-Labour deal is agreed, No 10 has been hoping to reach a pact with Labour that the opposition would allow the bill to be waved through on second reading, with MPs then able to find a consensus for an acceptable form of Brexit through amendments. However, Labour has not so far acquiesced to this plan. | Even if no clear Tory-Labour deal is agreed, No 10 has been hoping to reach a pact with Labour that the opposition would allow the bill to be waved through on second reading, with MPs then able to find a consensus for an acceptable form of Brexit through amendments. However, Labour has not so far acquiesced to this plan. |
| One option may be for May to publish the withdrawal agreement bill but not allow its second reading just yet. She would instead move on to the “definitive votes” in the Commons, whereby MPs would express a preference for a form of Brexit they could live with – potentially involving a customs union or a confirmatory vote on any deal. | One option may be for May to publish the withdrawal agreement bill but not allow its second reading just yet. She would instead move on to the “definitive votes” in the Commons, whereby MPs would express a preference for a form of Brexit they could live with – potentially involving a customs union or a confirmatory vote on any deal. |
| However, some Brexit-supporting Conservative MPs scoffed at this prospect, saying it was inconceivable that May would remain in post long enough for this to happen. | However, some Brexit-supporting Conservative MPs scoffed at this prospect, saying it was inconceivable that May would remain in post long enough for this to happen. |
| One member of the 1922 Committee said opinion on the executive was still deeply split on the issue of May’s future but a win for Farage at the European elections was likely to be the pivotal moment at which opinion shifted in favour of allowing MPs a ballot on her leadership. | One member of the 1922 Committee said opinion on the executive was still deeply split on the issue of May’s future but a win for Farage at the European elections was likely to be the pivotal moment at which opinion shifted in favour of allowing MPs a ballot on her leadership. |
| Huw Merriman, a government parliamentary aide to the chancellor, predicted an “absolute mauling” for the party, while Rees-Mogg said the majority of Conservative members he had spoken to were voting for Farage’s party. | Huw Merriman, a government parliamentary aide to the chancellor, predicted an “absolute mauling” for the party, while Rees-Mogg said the majority of Conservative members he had spoken to were voting for Farage’s party. |
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