Theresa May suggests she would vote to block successor's bid for no-deal Brexit
2 min read
Theresa May has suggested she will vote to block any attempt by her successor to force through a no-deal Brexit this autumn.
The Prime Minister hinted that she could become a rebel on her return to the Conservative backbenches when she steps down as Prime Minister next month.
Speaking to reporters on her way to a G20 meeting in Japan, Mrs May refused to guarantee her loyalty to Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt over their methods of taking Britain out of the European Union.
Asked if she could commit her support to whatever plan her successor brings to the Commons, Mrs May said: “What you are saying to me is, ‘will you now say that whatever happens in the future you’re going to agree with it?’.
“I think it’s important for us to deliver Brexit in a way that is good for British people.”
However, she failed to go as far as some of her Tory colleagues, including Ken Clarke and Dominic Grieve, who have publicly said they would back a vote of no confidence in a Conservative Government it that was the only way of preventing a no deal.
Quizzed on whether she could understand the logic behind such a stance, the PM said “this is an issue on which people feel strongly”.
But she added: “As far as I’m concerned, I believe there should be a Conservative government in the UK, because a Conservative government is better for the people of the UK.
“And if Jeremy Corbyn were prime minister you know the problems we would see.
“A run on the pound, capital flight, we would see jobs lost, we would see less money for public services.”
One way to prevent Tory rebels from blocking no-deal would be to suspend the House of Commons in the run-up to the October 31 Brexit deadline, something Mr Johnson has refused to rule out.
At an online leadership hustings the former Foreign Secretary said he was not "attracted" to "archaic" devices like proroguing Parliament, but did not explicitly say he would not do it should there be an attempt to delay Brexit.
Mrs May dismissed this as a solution, saying as she travelled to Osaka, where she will also hold meetings with EU leaders, that: “What I hope and expect is that my successor will be able to put before Parliament proposals that will enable us to deliver on the vote of the British people in a way that will be good for the United Kingdom.”
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