BREXITEERS will vote down the hated withdrawal agreement if it ties Britain to Brussels, a top Tory has warned.
Mark Francois, vice chairman of the European Research Group (ERG), said senior Eurosceptics in the party will wage a “Parliamentary war” if a deal stands in the way of a hard Brexit.
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Francois also made it clear that Brexiteers will vote down the agreement even if it leaves out the hated Northern Irish backstop.
He sounded off the warning to Boris Johnson after the Prime Minister suggested there could be a transition period after the deadline of October 31.
PARLIAMENTARY WAR
He told the Chopper’s Brexit Podcast: “Even if you took the backstop element out of the bill you are still talking about a very substantial bill.
“You’d have to spend weeks in parliament […] and you’d have weeks and weeks of people like [Dominic] Grieve and [Oliver] Letwin and co. tabling wrecking amendments.
“You’d have a running Parliamentary war probably for at least a month and I don’t think that any sensible government would want that in the run up to 31st October, so in practical terms I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
You’d have a running Parliamentary war probably for at least a month and I don’t think that any sensible government would want that in the run up to 31st October, so in practical terms I don’t think it’s a good idea
Mark Francois
Francois’s warning came as Sajid Javid “turbo charged” No Deal planning with an extra £2billion to make sure we’re truly ready to leave on October 31.
The Home Secretary has pledged the cash to stockpile medicines, hire more border officials and fund a mammoth ad campaign to inform Brits about Brexit changes.
Meanwhile the PM is chaired his first Brexit war cabinet today after it was lead by Michael Gove at its first meeting on Monday.
Francois said that Boris made “very clear” that Theresa May’s despised Brexit deal was “dead” in a secret meeting with the ERG.
But concerns for a quick divorce from Brussels have been raised after the Tory leader stressed we could remain in the EU customs union and single market for another “couple of years”.
TRANSITION CONCERNS
During a visit to Wales earlier this week, the PM said: “Some of the (No Deal) changes that are going to be necessary in the run-up to October 31 will be crucial anyway if we are going to come out of the customs union and single market, as we must, in the course of the next couple of years.”
But EU chiefs have said a transition period after we leave is only possible if we leave with May’s deal.
In recent days Boris’ top team have ramped up the pressure on the EU by boosting our No Deal planning, ready to get us out without an agreement if we have to.
But the PM has insisted he doesn’t want to leave with nothing at all.
The two sides are still at loggerheads over the hated backstop – which Boris wants scrapped.
During a fiery 15-minute phonecall this week, Mr Johnson told Irish leader Leo Varadkar to “abolish the backstop” and warned that a No Deal Brexit would be the EU’s fault.
He also told Varadkar that there was “no way” the border policy would get through the House of Commons.
He said: “If the EU understands that, I think we are going to be at the races.
“If they can’t compromise, then clearly we have to get ready for a No Deal exit.
“It’s up to the EU, this is their call if they really want us to do this.”
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