DOWNING Street was on alert last night as Tory rebel leader Sir Oliver Letwin revealed he will stand down as an MP.
The grandee ex-minister, who has lead the fight against a No Deal Brexit, confirmed he won’t fight the next general election.
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Sir Oliver joins a growing list of Remainer Conservative rebels who have also announced this is their last Parliament.
But that means they have nothing to lose by defying Boris Johnson in his imminent Commons showdown, including toppling him with a no confidence vote.
Sir Oliver was behind a series of cross-party moves to block a no-deal departure from the EU this year, and has been critical of Theresa May’s government, saying not enough was done to prepare for a no-deal Brexit.
He is also involved in cross-party talks as MPs from across the House seek to stop the UK from leaving the EU without a deal.
The one-time shadow chancellor was first elected to Parliament as MP for West Dorset in 1997.
Earlier this week Sir Oliver told the BBC’s Today programme he has not ruled out supporting a no-confidence motion to bring down the Tory government to prevent a no-deal.
He said, however, that he would not back it if it led to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn becoming PM.
He said: “I’m not very inclined to do that if it could possibly be avoided, it’s not something I would do under any circumstances in normal life and I’d much prefer to find some other means of getting to a substantive result”.
Sir Oliver’s office said it will not be adding any further comment.
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