THERESA May has pushed back the vote on her new Brexit deal as Tory MPs clamour for her to go.
On Wednesday MPs were told that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill would be published today and put to a Commons vote on June 7, but by Thursday morning, with the Prime Minister almost certainly in the final hours of her time in office, the Government all but conceded defeat.
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Tory MPs are in open revolt over May’s offer to facilitate a second Brexit referendum. The proposal saw Andrea Leadsom quit as leader of the House on Wednesday night.
It has also infuriated the Scottish Tories, who believe it will damage their campaign against the SNP’s push for new independence referendum.
“We have been totally consistent in making the case against another EU referendum and then she goes and throws us under a bus with that speech,” one Scottish Tory MP told The Times.
The SNP’s Pete Wishart joked that May’s proposal had “deprived these one-trick ponies of their one trick.”
Speaking at business questions yesterday, Tory whip Mark Spencer, who was a last minute replacement for Leadsom, said the government could still bring the Withdrawal Agreement Bill before the Commons next month.
But with May expected to announce her resignation today, this seems increasingly unlikely.
In her resignation letter, Leadsom, who became the 36th minister, and the 50th member of May’s Government to quit, said she no longer believed “that our approach will deliver on the referendum result”.
Ruth Davidson was also reportedly “baffled” by May’s offer.
A source close to the Scottish Tory leader said: “Fair to say we are baffled by this as a closing message before an election.”
Yesterday, the Scottish Tories were all still trying to hammer home the no more divisive referendum campaign slogan.
Sharing a picture of her polling station on Twitter, Davidson said: “Democratic duty done! Polls open until 10pm this evening.
“Vote @ScotTories to say no more referendums.”
David Mundell tweeted a picture of him and MSP son, Oliver outside the polling station at Moffat Town Hall. “Make sure you use your vote today to support @RuthDavidsonMSP in saying No to any more referendums,” he tweeted.
While the official Scottish Tory account tweeted: “Today is polling day – let Nicola Sturgeon know that we’ve had enough of referendums by voting Scottish Conservative”.
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Mundell had attempted to meet with May on Wednesday to discuss the concerns of Scottish MPs, but May refused to meet.
The Financial Times reported that Mundell was now considering his position.
A source close to the Scottish secretary said: “He wants to be absolutely clear that we don’t present the possibility of a second Brexit referendum in a way that is capable of being exploited by the nationalist for a second independence referendum.
“The Government has to be clear it opposes both.”
Speaking in business questions, Wishart said: “What is intriguing about the withdrawal agreement Bill is that it seems to offer the prospect of a second referendum.
“The Tories in Scotland are running around today saying that they are the party that is resolutely against any future referendums, so what has happened with the withdrawal agreement Bill is that the Government have deprived these one-trick ponies of their one trick.
“It is hard to believe that we are having an EU election today, but the Government should be commended for one thing: the Tories’ attempts to make sure that no one votes for them look like being extremely successful,” he added.
She also initially declined to meet with Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt, but spoke to both men yesterday.
Javid is understood to have told May that he could not vote for the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, and claimed it went significantly further than what had been agreed by Cabinet on Tuesday.
While Hunt asked May to pull the Bill. He reportedly said it would “asking too much” of colleagues to back it in the Commons.
There were reports that the Prime Minister was attempting a last minute rewriting her Brexit deal, but while that might please her party it will kill off any hope of Labour MPs backing it.
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