The Tory leadership hopefuls need to explain how they stop themselves becoming “Theresa May mark two” stuck in a Brexit impasse, Philip Hammond, the chancellor of the exchequer, has warned.
Hammond sounded a disparaging note about the prime minister as he told the candidates they needed to show how they would be different from the current occupant of No 10.
Most of the candidates have said they would try to reopen talks on May’s deal with Brussels and then attempt to get it through parliament, but Hammond pointed out that the EU had already disbanded its negotiating team as it is adamant discussions are over. The exceptions are Esther McVey, a Brexit hardliner who wants to leave with no deal, and Sam Gyimah, a former minister who is campaigning for a second referendum.
“My challenge to all of the candidates is: explain to me how you will avoid becoming Theresa May mark two, stuck in a holding pattern,” he told the BBC’s Newsnight.
“An extension of time to try to renegotiate, when the EU have already said they have finished the negotiation and, indeed, have disbanded their negotiating team, strikes me as a not very auspicious policy.”
Hammond has previously hinted that he could support a second referendum to break the deadlock but on Monday he said not delivering Brexit would not be an “acceptable outcome”.
“No Brexit would be seen as a gross breach of faith with the public, with the electorate, and would undermine our political system … It means people in parliament having to stop pontificating, get off their high horses and understand that we will all have to give up something to get to a deal that will work. We will all be grumpy about it, we will all be dissatisfied. But in many ways that is the only way forward for the country.”
The leading candidates who have more than 12 publicly declared supporters among their MP colleagues are Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt, Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid and Matt Hancock. All have said they would make an effort to renegotiate with the EU.
Some of them believe there could be a last opportunity for a tweak to the agreement and political declaration in the form of an addendum or exchange of letters at the European council in October – the last opportunity before the next Brexit deadline at the end of that month.
However, the timetable for a renegotiation is extremely tight after the summer and before a new European commission in November. Jean-Claude Juncker, the outgoing president of the commission, has repeatedly made clear the withdrawal agreement is not up for discussion.
