HE has never voted against his government or party in more than two decades. But Chancellor Philip Hammond has refused to rule out supporting a no-confidence motion in the government if Theresa May’s successor tries to take the UK out of Europe without a deal.
Leadership contenders Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab, Andrea Leadsom and Esther McVey have all said they would be prepared to enter into a no-deal Brexit on October 31 if necessary.
Appearing on The Andrew Marr Show yesterday, Hammond said the next prime minister would be defying parliament if they crashed out under those terms.
He said: “It would be very difficult for a prime minister who adopted no deal as a policy – we are leaving with no deal as a matter of policy – to retain the confidence of the House of Commons.”
When asked if he would vote against the government on a no-deal withdrawal if he is a backbencher this autumn, the Chancellor said: “I would certainly not support a strategy to take us out with no deal.”
When pressed on whether or not he would vote against the government in a confidence motion in a no-deal scenario, he went on: “In 22 years in parliament, I have never voted against the Conservative whip, unlike many of my colleagues, and I don’t want to have to start now contemplating such a course of action.”
He added: “I would find it very difficult to vote for a no-deal Brexit, but I have never voted against my government or my party in the 22 years that I have been in parliament. And I don’t want to be put in that situation. So my focus will be trying to ensure that I don’t find myself facing that challenge.”
Hammond said that “challenge” would also apply to many of his Tory party colleagues, stating: “ I hope we will never get to that position.”
The Chancellor dismissed suggestions of pre-exit renegotiations with the EU as a “fig leaf for a policy of leaving on no-deal terms” due to the summer break and the fact a new EU Commission will not be in place until the autumn.
And he went on: “Parliament has voted very clearly to oppose a no-deal exit. A prime minister who ignores parliament cannot expect to survive very long.”
As many as eight contenders have now announced their candidacies for the Tories’ top job.
They include Scottish-born Michael Gove, who confirmed he was entering the race yesterday, Boris Johnson and Andrea Leadsom – all of whom ran last time around.
Jeremy Hunt, Matt Hancock, Esther McVey, Dominic Raab and Rory Stewart also aim to become party leader and prime minister. A number of other potential candidates, including Home Secretary Sajid Javid, are yet to declare their intentions.
According to analysis by both the Conservative Home and Guido Fawkes websites, almost 120 Tory MPs have declared their support so far. Combining these two, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt appears to be the frontrunner, followed by Environment Secretary Gove, with Johnson the third most popular.
However, nominations do not close until the week starting June 10, when a run-off will begin.
Brandon Lewis, the chairman of the Conservative Party, has said he aims to establish the final choice for party members by the end of June, following prior rounds in which MPs will be asked to eliminate the least popular candidates.
Whoever succeeds will not only have to heal the wounds in their own divided party and navigate Brexit, but also work to recover from the losses suffered by the Tories in the last General Election and the predicted drubbing in the European Parliamentary elections.
Whilst the first results for the UK were anticipated late last night, the full picture will not emerge until later today, when Scotland announces its winners and losers.
Counting here is delayed due to procedures in the Outer Hebrides, where observation of the Sabbath means such activity cannot take place on a Sunday.
Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan said he feared his party was facing “total wipeout” and would be left without any representation at all.
On his bid for the top job, Gove said: “I believe that I’m ready to unite the Conservative and Unionist Party, ready to deliver Brexit, and ready to lead this great country.”
The new Tory leader is expected to take over as prime minister at the end of July.
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