DEMANDS have been renewed for the Scottish Government to have a seat at the Brussels negotiating table amid fears Conservative infighting over Theresa May’s future will lead to a bad Brexit deal or even to no deal.
The appeal was issued by the SNP’s Kirsty Blackman who said with the Tories preoccupied with who could take over from May the prospect of reaching a beneficial agreement with the EU was diminishing.
Blackman, the SNP’s new deputy Westminster leader, spoke out after reports emerged yesterday suggesting ministers are calling for Chancellor Philip Hammond to take over as a ‘caretaker’ Prime Minister.
According to one report, senior figures want Hammond in place as Tory leader before October’s party conference provided he vows to stand down after two years so that someone else can lead the Conservatives into the next election.
A separate article says Tory MPs and donors are eager to “skip a generation” and look to the 2010 intake of top MPs for a successor to the under pressure Prime Minister.
Blackman said the “infighting” in the Tory party, less than a year after the leadership contest to replace David Cameron, underlined the need for the SNP Government to have a seat in the Brussels talks.
“In a matter of weeks, Theresa May has gone from the darling of the hard-Brexiteer Tories, to somebody too weak to lead her own party, never mind the country,” she said.
“Her colleagues are plotting to remove her and install a caretaker Prime Minister, before removing him, electing a fourth Prime Minister and calling a third general election in the last four years. It is anything but strong and stable leadership in the national interest.”
She added: “The fact the Tories cannot even get their own house in order and that they continue to tear themselves apart over Europe, as they have always done, does not bode well as we head into the most important negotiations that Scotland has ever faced.
“It is absolutely vital that the Scottish Government has a seat at the negotiating table so that Scotland’s interests can be protected in the Brexit talks.
“The Tories are completely occupied with fighting with each other — only the Scottish Government can be trusted to negotiate with the EU in Scotland’s best interests.”
May has faced persistent questions over whether she can still command authority as leader after the humiliating loss of her party’s Commons majority in the snap General Election.
Her woes were compounded by what was seen as a poor response to the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, alongside a stuttering start to Brexit negotiations.
A new Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times puts Labour five points ahead of the Tories on 46 per cent. May’s personal approval rating stands at -17, compared with +17 for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The paper reported yesterday that May’s colleagues want Hammond to take over as an interim Prime Minister.
One suggested solution being reported would be for the Chancellor, who favours a soft Brexit, to appoint Brexit Secretary David Davis as deputy Prime Minister and make clear he will step aside for a new face in two years.
One minister told the paper: “I think Philip is the only plausible candidate for a couple of years, with DD [David Davis] running Brexit. He is a more credible caretaker than the current prime minister.
“The PM’s brand is so damaged it is painful. The calculation that people are beginning to make is that she is so inadequate we can’t wait two years with her in place.”
Others have said the likes of Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and David Davis have “had their day” and the party must look to younger MPs.
One MP told the Sunday Telegraph: “If and when this happens, we need Year Zero — a real radical revolution…We need an equivalent to Ruth Davidson — someone completely counter-intuitive.”
In a television interview yesterday Davis indicated it was not certain the UK will secure a Brexit deal. Davis said he was “pretty sure” an agreement could be struck but left the door open to leaving the bloc without one.
The Brexit Secretary said that no deal “would be better than a punishment deal”, in contrast to remarks Hammond has made that no deal would be “very, very bad” for the UK.
Meanwhile, Tory former Chancellor Ken Clarke said the election outcome would put pressure on May to compromise on Brexit.
He told Sky News: “Any three members of Parliament, or, perhaps, half a dozen, certainly, are their party’s majority. But that puts pressure on people to actually reach some compromises and reunite the party. We are very divided on Europe.”
Asked if he had seen the Tories in such a “mess” in the past, Clarke said: “I’ve seen nothing like this.
“It’s quite unique.”
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