The Prime Minister has until Friday to pass her deal and secure an orderly exit from the EU - while ministers have threatened to call a general election if the chaos continues and they have a soft Brexit forced upon them in the coming weeks.
But the U-turns from Tories Mr Rees-Mogg, Michael Fabricant and James Gray may prove too late, with some of their hardcore Brexiteer colleagues including Mark Francois and the DUP still refusing to vote for the deal before Friday.
That could mean Brexit will slowly slip away, with MPs set to hold a series of indicative votes on Wednesday to choose their preferred option for Brexit and then try to force the result on May next week.
The Prime Minister is now expected to address her MPs on Wednesday night, and speculation is high that she could offer to step down to get her deal over the line in a vote on Thursday. Boris Johnson has already indicated that he could back the deal if she agrees to go.
The alternatives for May look bleak as rebel MPs next week plan to force her to adopt a softer Brexit - such as the so-called Norway option - by taking control of the Commons in a historic power grab.
As the Government's Brexit strategy went into meltdown yesterday, senior ministers 'war-gamed' scenarios that could see a general election called three years ahead of schedule because a soft Brexit would shred the Tory manifesto.
An election would cause fresh public uproar, with only 12 per cent of the public wanting one, according to the most recent polling.
The campaign would also likely tear apart the already split Tory and Labour parties because their MPs are bitterly divided over whether to leave the EU, compromise on a soft Brexit or to try to reverse the 2016 referendum and remain.
MailOnline
No comments:
Post a Comment