howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
From the Sunday Times.
Conservative MPs are preparing for another snap general election as they fear the Brexit deadlock will become insurmountable for the prime minister. Some have spoken to their local party associations asking to be readopted as prospective parliamentary candidates in readiness for an autumn election. The back-bench MPs acted after meeting Theresa May last week for a private Brexit briefing as she tried to stop a row over Britain’s future customs relationship with the European Union tearing the party apart. But far from being reassured by meeting the prime minister, they left Downing Street convinced that another election could be around the corner. One Tory Brexiteer said he could not see how the government could “square the circle” and come up with a solution on Britain’s future trading relationship with the EU that would appease both sides of the warring party. “It’s becoming clear there’s no compromise that will keep remainers such as Nicky Morgan, Anna Soubry and Dominic Grieve happy as well as the likes of myself and Jacob Rees-Mogg,” the MP said. “The numbers are against us and if we face repeated defeats when the withdrawal bill returns to the Commons, the only alternative will be to kick over the table and trigger a vote of no confidence in the prime minister, which will likely lead to another general election.
“After speaking with like-minded colleagues, I have raised this with my association chairman and asked them to get on with readopting me as the candidate in my seat in anticipation that we could go to the polls as early as the autumn. I am even preparing my first leaflet drop for the summer.”
Labour MPs are also discussing the prospect of an October poll. A Labour Party insider said: “I heard two separate reports from MPs who said they had heard Conservative MPs planning for an early election.”
The revelation will heap further pressure on May, who is facing a backlash over her plans to keep the whole of the UK tied to a customs union with the EU after 2021, or until an alternative to a hard border in Ireland can be found. Eurosceptics fear the proposal could lead to Britain being tied to the customs union indefinitely. Rees-Mogg, the leader of a 60-strong group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, has condemned the idea as “perpetual purgatory”. Andrew Bridgen, another member of the European Research Group, said: “If the plan is staying tied to a customs union until we find something better, the EU will never offer us anything better and we will never get out.”
At least a dozen hardline Brexiteers think leaving the EU with no deal would be better, according to reports. They are expected to renew calls for the appointment of a “no deal” cabinet minister to show that Britain is prepared to walk away from the negotiations. However, in his last speech as the president of the Confederation of British Industry, Paul Drechsler will back calls for Britain to remain in the customs union.
At the CBI annual dinner on Tuesday, he will say: “We need to break the Brexit logjam and fast because there’s so much more that we need to get on with. A pragmatic decision to be in a customs union with the EU would allow us to move on.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
round and around it go's who will win and who will lose no one will know.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Should the prediction be correct and various MPs are already starting to campaign locally where does this leave Dover and Deal Tories?
Unless HQ accept Charlie back very soon they will have to invite applications from people who want to stand locally. Should Charlie be exonerated he might choose to stand as an independent thereby splitting the Tory and allowing Labour to win the seat back.
Charlie had a distinct spring in his stride this morning maybe he knows something we don't?
John Buckley
- Registered: 6 Oct 2013
- Posts: 615
The queen of fudge is dead in the water, “appeaser” May had her chance and has been found wanting.
In fact Charlie might conceivably do ok standing as an independent, especially as it’s not very likely that he will have much to beat opposition wise? He would lose some die hard true blue votes of course but also pick up a significant number of floating voters I would guess. Could be interesting!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Have to disagree with your overall assessment John but would concede that Charlie has a cult following on social media who would tick the "like" box if he demanded a return to badger baiting, but groupies are not enough. Traditionally Tory voters vote for their party irrespective of the candidate which leaves plenty of room for Charlotte(who is already making her presence felt in the constituency) to come home on the rails.
Guest 1881 likes this
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
There will not be one till 2022
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,922
howard mcsweeney1 wrote:Traditionally Tory voters vote for their party irrespective of the candidate .
The same goes for Labour voters so only the floating voters decision really matter come an election.
Regardless of party if the existing MP is respected locally they have a head start in any election.
I doubt there will be an election until Brexit is finally sorted.
Judith Roberts likes this
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
There is a lot of pressure on may to deliver a hard brexit
obviously as an ex remainer that may not be her thought process
but her party has those just waiting for her to fail to then take her out.
they are at the moment carefully getting ready to do just that.
Those that voted out are not going to get anywhere near the deal they thought they voted for, but they were warned at the time.
On Charlie, I'm with howard on this, if the national party take much longer they will be cutting there own throat.
whilst Charlie has the support of the die hard tories, if a general election is called and he has to stand as an indy he wont beat the official party.
As howard says if that happens he will just split the vote and allow labour in through the back door.
That's why labours probably a lot quieter on the Charlie issue, its in labours interest for this to drag on as long as possible.
the police don't probably come out of this well either.
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