An ex-Prime Minister is among leading Tories spooked by Prime Minister Theresa May’s hint she might back a general election to resolve the Brexit crisis. Conservative Sir John Major today begged Mrs May not to push for a general election saying she was “blocked on every side” and it “will solve nothing”. He spoke after Mrs May warned “we are reaching the limited of this process on this House” following the third defeat of the meaningful vote on Friday. Sir John told BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show: “If we have a general election in the autumn, which I think is possible not certain, and we don’t get a government with a clear majority then I think it would be in the national interest to have a cross-party government so that we can take decisions without the chaos that we’re seeing in Parliament at the moment where every possible alternative is rejected.”
When asked if he thought Mrs May should call an election for this week, he added: “Don’t. I mean don’t for a whole range of reasons.
“The Prime Minister is blocked in on every side, I utterly can empathise with her frustration but I think a general election will solve nothing at this moment.”
Worried Tory ministers also tried to dissolve speculation today a general election was looming.
Justice Secretary David Gauke said he did not believe a general election would resolve the Brexit deadlock in Parliament.
He said: “I don’t see how a general election solves this issue. The fundamentals remain the same.”
What happens now?
MPs will hold a second round of indicative votes in the Commons on Monday to find out if they can find agreement on a way forward.
None of the eight proposals put forward by lawmakers last week succeeded after the Commons took control of the Brexit process.
Calls for a customs union with the EU were rejected by 272 to 264 votes.
A second referendum motion was also defeated by 295 to 268 votes.
Many of the votes put to the Commons the first time around will be put to MPs again in the hope they can be persuaded a second time.
If MPs do back something, Mrs May would still need to approve it as none of the ideas are legally binding.
Should nothing fail to gain a majority, the UK will need to contemplate the reality of a no-deal Brexit on April 12.
To avoid that, Mrs May can try to seek a further Brexit extension from the EU, which is likely to require voting for MEPS in new EU elections.
If we reach this stage, negotiations could see MPs trying to negotiate a softer Brexit.
Alternatively, politicians might call for a second referendum, general election or to cancel Brexit altogether.
Another option would be to move forward with a further vote on Mrs May’s deal.
Friday’s vote saw the smallest margin loss yet with only a 58 vote defeat.
