Epic day of chicanery and entertainment laid on by Tory party

Even by the high standards of the Tory party, which has down the decades removed numerous leaders and elevated backstabbing to an art, today was quite spectacular.

When Theresa May gave a “nothing has changed” press conference in Downing Street it came at the end of an epic run of resignations and stinging criticism of the PM. The Prime Minister’s Brexit plan had been savaged by most MPs who spoke in the Commons as May endured a three-hour grilling. And tonight, rumours of more cabinet Brexiteer resignations on top of Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Esther McVey, at DWP, continue to swirl.

Here are few highlights of a day to savour for those of you who have been off doing your jobs and adding to the prosperity of the country.

Conservative backbencher, outspoken Brexiteer and leader of the eurosceptic European Research Group Jacob Rees-Mogg submitted a letter of no-confidence in the Prime Minister at lunchtime. Since then, 13 more Conservative MPs have declared submitting no-confidence letters: Henry Smith, James Duddridge, Andrea Jenkyns, Andrew Bridgen, Philip Davies, Sheryll Murray, Martin Vickers, Lee Rowley, Nadine Dorries, Simon Clarke, Peter Bone and Steve Baker. The Spectator reported that Mark Francois will submit his letter within “24 hours.” The chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady MP, requires forty-eight letters to trigger a no-confidence vote in May.

Since presenting the draft deal to parliament this morning seven members of Theresa May’s government have resigned, including those two senior cabinet members.

The first resignation came early this morning with Shailesh Vara quitting as a junior minister in the Northern Ireland office. In his letter he said the deal was a “half-way house” which does not allow the UK to become a “sovereign, independent country leaving the shackles of the EU.”

Next, in a significant blow to May, Raab resigned as Brexit Secretary, a role which he has held since July 2018. Raab is the second of May’s Brexit Secretaries to have resigned, after David Davis stepped down in July over the Chequer’s proposal. Just before 9am Raab tweeted his resignation letter. In it he cites two reasons for the resignation: 1. “The regulatory regime proposed for Northern Ireland presents a very real threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom,” and 2. The indefinite backstop arrangement, “where the EU holds a veto over our ability to exit.”

Michael Gove was offered the role of Brexit secretary following Raab’s resignation, but reportedly turned it down. The Telegraph have since reported that Gove will only become Brexit Secretary on the condition that he can renegotiate May’s deal.

The pound dived following Raab’s resignation. The Financial Time’s Jim Pickard has said it is a “devastating blow to Theresa May and could open the floodgates to more Eurosceptic ministers quitting the government.”

At 10am McVey resigned from her role as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Like Raab she tweeted her resignation letter, which states that the draft deal “does not honour the result of the referendum,” will “trap us in a customs union” and “bind the hands of not only this, but future governments in pursuing genuine free trade policies,” and will “threaten the integrity of the United Kingdom.”

Sterling dropped to below $1.28 following this resignation.

Next up was junior Brexit minister Suella Braverman and parliamentary aide Anne-Marie Trevelyan. Both resigned from their roles. Ms Braverman was parliamentary under-secretary for the Department for Exiting the European Union.

All of this was before May addressed parliament. Around 10.30am the prime minister recapped the deal in the House of Commons. She affirmed the backstop “is designed to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.” And she rounded off with the message: “Voting against a deal will take us back to square one.”

Jeremy Corbyn responded, calling the agreement a “botched deal, that breaches the prime minister’s red lines and does not meet our six tests.” The non-time limited backstop will put a border down the Irish sea which violates one of May’s red lines, he claims. He then finished by calling on the government to withdraw the “half-baked deal.” May retaliated by saying that she has prevented a border being put in the Irish sea.

Iain Blackford, Westminster leader of the SNP, accused May of ignoring the “desires of Scotland.” Vince Cable, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, asked: “The government says it is doing contingency planning for no deal but what is she doing for a no Brexit?” to which May responded: “We are doing no planning for no Brexit because this government is going to deliver on the will of the people.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg then asked why he should not try and launch a no-confidence vote in the prime minister. Fourteen MPs have now submitted no-confidence letters.

In the chamber, May received support from Conservative MPs Amber Rudd, Sir Nicholas Soames and Nicky Morgan. Andrea Leadsom, Leader of Commons and hard Brexiteer has vowed to stay in government and support May.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Unionist Party, that prop up Theresa May’s minority government, have expressed dissatisfaction with the withdrawal deal. DUP MP Jim Shannon told the BBC: “The unionist people have been betrayed…She (Theresa May) has broken the promises she made.” He added: “We’re not afraid of anybody when it comes to the possibility of another election and a change of party in government.”

Just after midday, Ranil Jayawardena resigned as PPS at the Ministry of Justice, telling Theresa May the deal is “not taking back control.” The MP for Gillingham and Rainham, Rehman Chishti, resigned this afternoon as vice chairman of the Conservative party, making it the seventh resignation of the day.

The day wrapped up, just about, with the press conference in which May reiterated her key lines and pledges to see it through. At the very least, you have to admire her capacity for endurance.