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Here’s a thread about what last night’s vote means for the Conservative Party. First, the defeat last night was entirely avoidable. A small change in words would have been enough. But there are a lot of stubborn people on all sides & trust is now at rock bottom 1/9
It is however symptomatic of a Downing Street & Whips Office that’s been determined to keep MPs & Parliament at arms length since 2016. To have both pro & anti Brexit MPs abstain against the PM is spectacular mis-handling & this is not the first time it has happened 2/9
The vote at the end of the month may well be ‘high noon’ for some Ministerial careers. But they may be too late. A number of us have been facing threats of death, violence & de-selection since December 2017 while others have been in Government 3/9
The prominence of the ERG is not new & the calls for the Government not to accept all their demands & to reach out across the whole of the Commons have been made repeatedly since 2016. Those calls have routinely been ignored by the Government 4/9
The time to get Brexit to develop differently was Summer 2018. A number of us wanted the Govt to face down ERG amendments to the Customs Bill & we voted in favour of a customs union in the Trade Bill. We asked Cons MPs now saying they can’t carry on to resign/vote with us 5/9
We were told ‘now is not the time’. The ERG amendments were approved. The CU change was defeated. The calls for a second referendum grew louder. We were left with Chequers 6/9
A Withdrawal Agreement is needed to avoid a ‘no deal’ outcome to Brexit. An agreement needs a majority of MPs to support it & legislation to implement it. Will enough Labour MPs keep voting with Tory Ministers to achieve that? Seems unlikely to me. 7/9
So the numbers have to be provided by Cons MPs, DUP & some Labour MPs. Which means dealing with the backstop & workers rights etc. Which means compromise - such as the Malthouse Compromise - which needs to be properly worked up by Govt 8/9
Yesterday was wholly unnecessary. The country needs the governing Conservative Party to take a collective deep breath & for us to resolve this & to do so by 29th March if at all possible. If we can’t this may be the last thing anyone remembers about us as a Party. 9/9
