Politics

‘Call their bluff!’ MP says ERG MPs have ‘TRASHED reputation’ of Tory Party


He called on Tories to call their bluff by turning a vote on the withdrawal agreement into a matter of confidence in the Government, warning them if the Government fell many would lose their seats in the consequent general election. Mr Kawczynski, who quit the Eurosceptic caucus last month, claiming the intransigence of its membership in refusing to back Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement was jeopardising the entire Brexit process. He told Express.co.uk: “Having been to ERG meetings for last 12 months I believe in a Eurosceptic Caucus within the and the need to express those views clearly.”

He added: “One option that needs consideration is to force Withdrawal Agreement through as a matter of confidence in government.

“If every Tory in the ERG had voted for WA3 last time, we would only have lost by two, and I know another non-ERG Tory MP who under such a close result would also have supported it.

“A hardcore element within ERG now creating circumstances much worse than when we crashed out of in 1992 (then being out of office for generation).

“These people think as they are in safe seats they can trash our Party’s reputation and just carry on.

“No: we must now take them on with making WA4 a confidence vote in government.

“People need to see it’s the withdrawal agreement or no Brexit.

“Grab the agreement and we can work on the later.

“Despite the Fixed Term Parliament Act we can and must make these people choose whether or not to continue being Conservative MPs.”

Mr Kawczynski was talking at the start of a tumultuous week during which Prime Minister Theresa May’s face-off with the over the date of her resignation is likely to come to a head.

Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady has suggested Mrs May’s deal will be “defeated by a large margin again” if she brings it back unamended, which is why he is lobbying for changes on the Irish backstop as a plan C.

He intends to bring forward an amendment stating the backstop would “stay in the text” but “obviously could never be used” – despite previous EU objections to anything that would destroy what negotiators term an “insurance policy”.

With Brexit options being rapidly whittled down, Theresa May had already offered up her premiership as the price for MPs backing her deal.

But even this has not been enough, and the clamour for her to go sooner reached fever pitch after calamitous where the Tories lost nearly 1,300 councillors.

Earlier this week, Mrs May rebuffed demands to set out a timetable for her departure from Number 10 amid growing pressure from Tory MPs to make way for a new leader.

She was given another grace period by Sir Graham, who said he understood Mrs May’s “reticence” around setting out specifics on when she would go because it could scupper the chances for her deal.

However, the 1922 Committee chairman appears to have set his own deadline for a response.

He said: “I think that’s a natural concern and one can understand it, but it’s also the case the 1922 executive has asked her to give that clarity. She has offered to come and meet the executive, which we’ve accepted.”



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