Theresa May's red lines on Brexit were defied in public today by a Cabinet minister as she paid the price for last night’s historic Commons defeat.
On a day that saw the Prime Minister under growing pressure to rip up cast-iron promises, ministers privately warned that a general election is “on the way”. But one Cabinet minister broke ranks by saying the Government should not be “boxed in” by old promises, such as her rejection of a customs union with the European Union.
Justice Secretary David Gauke said ministers should now negotiate a “middle way” in talks with other parties in order to avoid no deal.
Mrs May has firmly ruled out a customs union but Labour supports it.
Pressed if any such deal could now be on the table, Mr Gauke told the BBC: “We need to see if there is a potential deal there, looking at it in the round, is it viable, is it something that the House of Commons can take through? But I don’t think today we should be boxing ourselves in.” His words come in the wake of last night’s extraordinary Commons defeat for Mrs May’s withdrawal blueprint. It was kicked out by 432 votes to 202 — a record margin of 230 — after a revolt by 118 Conservative MPs.
The phrase “opening up new opportunities to trade” seemed weaker than Mrs May’s usual line that she wanted an independent trade policy and the right to have free trade deals. Mr Corbyn sniped: “The Prime Minister seems to be in denial.”
Father of the House Kenneth Clarke appealed: “[Mrs May] must now modify her red lines which she created for herself at Lancaster House and find a cross-party majority.”
Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan called for “maximum flexibility” for the sake of a deal.
In private, Cabinet Ministers were deeply divided over how Mrs May should attempt to broker a deal.
One predicted at least “one or two more votes” on the withdrawal agreement that was rejected last night, providing the EU agreed on improvements to the backstop, which senior EU figures flatly ruled out today. The senior minister said the stakes could be raised “by crystallising” threats of a second referendum or of Article 50 being rescinded.
Another senior minister said the Prime Minister should “reluctantly relinquish” red lines that were erected to please Tory hardline Eurosceptics, such as insisting on the right to strike trade deals outside a customs union with the EU bloc. The minister said the process may result in “the pain of severing our Right [and] finding the centre ground”.
Two Cabinet ministers made candid admissions in private they had “no idea” how the impasse would be resolved.
Labour sources sensed Mrs May was being sucked into an impossible dilemma and indicated Mr Corbyn would table a second confidence vote on Monday when the Prime Minister is due to present her Plan B to the House of Commons.
A senior parliamentarian involved in cross-party plots to empower the Commons to call the shots on Brexit agreed that the collapse of the Government was now a risk. “If Parliament gives an instruction that the executive is unwilling to accept, the outcome could well be a general election,” said the former minister.
Lord O’Donnell, the former head of the civil service, said officials would already be preparing for a general election. “Even though the expectation is that the Government will win, they need to be ready for that period where if that motion is carried, then there is 14 days to think about trying to form another government.” The former cabinet secretary also suggested there was no prospect of any party leader being able to form a new Government in the current parliament.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron today said he regretted the “difficulties and problems” that stemmed from his defeat in the 2016 EU referendum. But he insisted: “I don’t regret calling the referendum.”
In a phone call with business chiefs, Mr Hammond also reassured them that a no-deal departure would be blocked, the Financial Times reported.
