Tory Remainer Rebels Threaten to Bring Down Govt if New PM Takes Britain Out of European Union

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 09: Conservative MP Dominic Grieve attends a 'People's
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Oliver JJ Lane

Reviving the campaign to prevent Britain making a clean break from the European Union after an attempt to use parliament to outlaw a full Brexit failed on Tuesday night, rebel members of the governing Conservative Party have said they would move to bring down the government altogether to stop Brexit.

The threat to the next Prime Minister  — today whittled down to a list of seven Conservative front-runners who will be voted on again next week — comes as several would-be leaders said they are determined to see Brexit happen in October, and some have even not ruled out suspending Parliament to prevent remain-supporting MPs from torpedoing an exit.

A small hardcore of ultra-remain Conservative Members of Parliament voted with Labour to act against no-deal Brexit Wednesday night — an attempt that was seen off by the government — but now former attorney general and anti-Brexit rebel Dominic Grieve has said he would try to bring the government down altogether. Threatening a vote of no confidence, which if passed would topple the government and trigger a general election, ultra-remainer Grieve said:

“If we get to a point where a prime minister is intent on [leaving the European Union without a deal], the only way of stopping that prime minister would be to bring down that prime minister’s government.

“I will not hesitate to do that if that is what is attempted. Even if it means my resigning the whip and leaving the party, I will not allow this country to be taken out of the EU on a no-deal Brexit without the approval of this House.”

The comments came as fellow Tory remainer Oliver Letwin — whose named graced the first parliamentary attempt to outlaw a full Brexit — complained that he was now out of options to frustrate Brexit after Wednesday’s failure. He told the BBC: “We have run out of all the possibilities that any of us can at the moment think of.”

Rory Stewart, one of the seven leadership contenders vying to be the next Prime Minister joined the rebels Thursday evening, promising he too would work to bring down the government if he wasn’t leading it and whoever was attempted to take the United Kingdom out of the European Union unilaterally. Mr Stewart had previously sought legal advice to confirm that Prorogation to ensure Brexit went ahead was illegal, but was told by the government’s top lawyer it was not — however, the Attorney General did say while legal and with precedent, it would be “improper”

Conservative leadership contenders including Dominic Raab and now Boris Johnson are nodded towards their own extreme measures should Parliament prove absolutely determined to prevent the country leaving the European Union with no strings attached. The Parliamentary procedure known as Proroguing terminates the legislative session, meaning members are no longer sitting and cannot vote until a new one is opened by the Queen, at the direction of the Prime Minister.

Despite having launched his leadership campaign on a platform of wishing to avoid a full Brexit, but preparing for it anyway, The Times reports Boris Johnson reassured Eurosceptic group of Westminster Conservatives the European Research Group that he wouldn’t take closing Parliament to ensure Brexit off the table.

Last week, Dominic Raab said: “I think it’s wrong to rule out any tool to make sure that we leave by the end of October.”

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