Ex-minister calls for second Brexit vote

The idea of a referendum sequel has always been popular among Remainers – those who voted to stay in the European Union – who believe that the campaign around Brexit was infused with lies and propaganda, and that Leavers, their opponents, never had a coherent plan for withdrawal.

Former education secretary Justine Greening, who backed Remain, denounced the Chequers plan, saying it offered the “worst of both worlds” and called for a second referendum.

Although she is not expected to be defeated in the vote, Johnson, who resigned over Brexit disagreements, is likely to hold a speech that will rally her opponents and force her to water down the planned negotiations approach.

Even with a free vote on the final deal in parliament, it still means that in every constituency – mine was mainly Remain – there will inevitably be people disenfranchised by their MP’s vote, despite Brexit shaping all our lives for decades to come.

May, vulnerable in parliament after losing her party’s majority at an ill-judged election a year ago, has come under fire from both wings of her party over a hard-won Brexit plan, with one ex-minister calling it the “worst of all worlds”.

However she insisted her plan offered the only workable solution to maintain “frictionless” trade with the European Union and avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic while allowing the United Kingdom to strike trade deals around the world. Her remainer colleague Dominic Grieve said of the amendments: “The only intention behind their tabling was malevolent”.

The ultra pro-EU former Labour prime minister Tony Blair described May’s compromise position as “mush” which should be “decisively” rejected by parliament.

Under Conservative party rules, a contest can be forced if 48 or more Tory MPs submit a letter to the chair of the 1922 committee requesting a vote of no confidence in her.

May has suffered a string of resignations from Cabinet members and ministerial aides over the past week.

The other three ERG amendments, including one making it illegal to establish a customs border in the Irish Sea, would harden stated government policy into law and were not deemed by No 10 to be controversial.

His resignation follows that of foreign secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit secretary David Davis, as dissatisfaction with Theresa May’s Brexit deal proposed at Chequers spreads throughout the government.

Mrs May also turned her focus to a crucial vote in the House of Commons on Monday, in which both europhile and eurosceptic Conservative MPs could rebel against the government’s trade bill, a key piece of Brexit legislation.

Another Conservative Party legislator, Anna Soubry, who opposes the “hard” Brexit that would see Britain leave the European Union without a trade deal in place, said the government’s acceptance of the four amendments mean that Rees-Mogg is now effectively “running Britain”.

On Monday morning, Downing Street indicated that it had concerns about this amendment and its impact on the customs plan.

The Remainers represent another headache for May, although a much smaller one than the Eurosceptics.

That appears unlikely, however. “I say that’s not acceptable”, she told BBC television.