Labour Leave MPs are being warned they risk a hard Brexit if they back Theresa May’s deal so it squeaks through the Commons and she is then replaced by a Tory Right-winger.
Six Labour MPs voted with the Government last night to block an amendment — tabled by Hilary Benn, chairman of the Commons Brexit committee, and Tory grandee Sir Oliver Letwin — which would have allowed Parliament to take greater control of Brexit.
It lost by 314 to 312 with Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey, Caroline Flint, John Mann, Sir Kevin Barron, Ronnie Campbell and Graham Stringer siding with the Conservatives. Former culture secretary Ben Bradshaw expressed his anger on Twitter, stressing: “We lost by 2.”
A number of Labour MPs are considering whether to support Mrs May if she gets back for her plan from the Democratic Unionist Party and enough Tory Eurosceptics to be close to getting a majority at the third attempt.
But they are being warned that if she wins, the Tories may replace her with a hardline Eurosceptic MP to negotiate a future trade partnership with the EU.
Shadow trade secretary Barry Gardiner said: “They know she will be evicted from No 10 … and a new more Right-wing replacement will be left negotiating the real Brexit deal … supporting a bad Brexit withdrawal agreement under Theresa May could make them responsible for a final trade agreement under her successor which would entrench division and inequality in our country for decades.”
Nine London Labour MPs defied Jeremy Corbyn last night to vote for a second referendum. Labour had whipped MPs to abstain. Four Labour frontbenchers quit after last night’s votes.
