Arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has said he will support Theresa May’s exit deal as long as it gets the backing of the Democratic Unionist Party .
The chair of the European Research Group, who has been an influential critic of Ms May’s withdrawal agreement, urged his fellow Eurosceptics to back her deal or face the possibility of not seeing Britain leave the EU.
He has previously claimed that the prime minister’s deal would leave the UK a “slave state” and force it to pay the multi-billion-pound divorce settlement for “nothing at all”.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “I am now willing to support it if the Democratic Unionist Party does, and by doing so will be accused of infirmity of purpose by some and treachery by others.
“I have come to this view because the numbers in parliament make it clear that all the other potential outcomes are worse and an awkward reality needs to be faced.”
It came after the Somerset MP acknowledged that “the choice seems to be Ms May’s deal or no Brexit”.
Speaking on the Conservative Home podcast, Mr Rees-Mogg said: ”I have always thought that ‘no deal’ is better than Ms May’s deal, but Ms May’s deal is better than not leaving at all.”
He added that Brexit may now be a “process rather than an event” and it could take time to fully break away from Brussels.
In his article Mr Rees-Mogg warned his fellow Conservatives that removing Ms May would harm their cause.
“A number of Tory MPs think a new leader could swiftly renegotiate but that is almost certainly not true now that parliament has taken control of the House of Commons timetable,” he said.
“It would be even harder for a eurosceptic to manage the current Commons than it is for Ms May.”
Mr Rees-Mogg’s change of mind is one sign Ms May was winning over some of her Tory rebels, as it was suggested that Boris Johnson may also be wavering.
The prime minister is preparing for her last-ditch bid to force her withdrawal agreement through parliament by Friday’s deadline.
However, MPs have taken control of the House of Commons agenda in order to force a number of indicative votes on alternatives to her plan.
