THERESA May is set to fly to Brussels to sign off on her Brexit deal today, with the backbench plot to topple her seemingly stalled.
With the EU27 having agreed to back the terms of the withdrawal agreement, and the final touches being put to the political declaration that outlines the EU and the UK’s future relationship, the Prime Minister will meet with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker this evening.
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Downing Street said the meeting was part of the “ongoing negotiations over the future framework” agreement with the EU.
Yesterday, the Brexiteer mastermind, Jacob Rees-Mogg said he wasn’t humiliated after plans to overthrow the Prime Minister fizzled out.
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The vote of no-confidence, was, he insisted, still coming.
The Eton-educated toff said his colleagues needed to take back control, or risk May leading them for much longer.
“I think it is now or the Prime Minister will lead the Conservatives into the next election,” Rees-Mogg said.
The number of letters publicly submitted declaring no confidence reached 26 on Monday, short of the 48 needed. Brexiteers insisted more had been submitted privately.
“Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace,” Rees-Mogg said. “We will see what letters come in due time. Do 47 want to come with me or not? I may find that they don’t or they don’t do it today but when we get the meaningful vote. That’s a decision for them.”
Backing hiss boos: David Gauke
Justice Secretary David Gauke said toppling Theresa May as PM would be “self-indulgent and dangerous”.
He told BBC Breakfast: “The idea that at this point, in the middle of a very delicate negotiation – that is hugely important to the future of this country – that we should remove the Prime Minister, essentially leave us leaderless for, certainly several weeks, possibly months, would be hugely irresponsible.
There was support too for May’s deal from Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England. Speaking to the Commons Treasury Committee, he said: “We have emphasised from the start the importance of having some transition between the current arrangements and the ultimate arrangements.
“So we welcome the transition arrangements in the withdrawal agreement ... and take note of the possibility of extending that transition period.”
The Prime Minister’s respite from her troubles at home may be fleetingly brief, with the Europeans insisting that there will be no changes to the political declaration once it has been signed off by the EU, and that the withdrawal agreement cannot be renegotiated.
All eyes will now be on Brexiteers Andrea Leadsom, Liam Fox, Penny Mordaunt, Michael Gove, and Chris Grayling, the so called Pizza Club – because at their first secret meeting they had pizza – who remained in Cabinet last week in a bid to try and convince May to seek a renegotiation of the deal.
However, like Mogg’s European Research Group, they too seemed to have backed off and there was little sign of any difficulties or the Prime Minister at a two-and-a-half hour meeting of the Cabinet yesterday morning.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman insisted ministers were “united”.
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