100 Tories Issue Brexit Ultimatum to May: It Tells a Lot About MPs - Politician

Leaders of The Brexit Delivery group of MPs, comprising Leavers and Remainers, say up to 30 may back alternatives if the PM's reworked deal isn't supported. With more on this story, Sputnik spoke to Henry Bolton, the Leader of the 'Our Nation' Party, who has more in this report.

Sputnik: It's been reported today that dozens of normally loyal Conservative MPs could rebel against the government in a bid to prevent a "no-deal" Brexit. How significant is this and what does it tell us about the Prime Minister's handling of Brexit?

Henry Bolton: Well, it tells us a lot about the members of parliament I should say. First, what this means is that we've got a lot of conservative members of parliament who have stood in the 2017 election on a manifesto of delivering Brexit. They also voted in support of Article 50, and article 50 gives a two year period to negotiate the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union at the end of which either there is a deal or we leave with no deal. Now these MPs voted for that article 50 to be initiated. They voted for a two scenario situation; leave with a deal or leave and no deal and now they're going back on that. So that's Problem number one. These are people who stood in a democratic election on a false premise and they misled the British people in that regard. I think what that's what we're seeing now if they if they actually vote to block no deal.

READ MORE: EU Expects UK PM May to Request Three-Month Delay of Brexit – Reports

The second thing is the prime minister's handling of it, which he specifically asked. I think the Prime Minister has failed to consult with her own backbenchers I think she failed consult with Parliament generally and she's failed consult with business and the broader British community, business community and population as a whole. S

She's kept this to close hold and I'm afraid, in my view, the Prime Minister has handled this whole thing appallingly. It's been a failure of leadership. And plus of course her negotiations had no clear objectives and as a result of given no clear and decisive outcome.

Sputnik: After weeks of constant change the option of a no deal remains firmly on the table for Britain. Is it time for Theresa May and her government to consider the options of WTO exit from the EU?

Henry Bolton: The referendum took place on the 23rd of July 2016, I think on the 24th of July 2016 the British government and Whitehall civil service should have been preparing for an a range of different scenarios and of course, that should have been one of them.

The government has put that off, put it off, put it off, and put it off until really the last moment and I would say beyond the last moment. The government and the country is not prepared for a no deal situation.

Not all of the various legislation, procedures and resources are in the right places, or in place at all, and so the country is not really ready to to leave with no deal at the present time… again another failure of leadership and government.

Sputnik: Looking to the future, it's safe to say that the next weeks are immensely important as Britain is less than a month away from leaving the EU. What should we be seeing from the government before March 29th?

Henry Bolton: I think the government must and it's never going to be too late to do this now, but the government must give the nation clear direction particularly our businesses. Business requires clarity. The biggest threat and we've seen the situation with Honda in Swindon and so on, the closure of production lines for cars in this country. There are a whole host of reasons and they are not due to Brexit.

However, the lack of clarity that businesses got or the failure of government to deliver clarity and this has made life a great deal more difficult for our commercial sector in the UK and I find that unforgivable.

The government must, must, without any further delay or prevarication, gives the nation and indeed the European Union clarity of what it's trying to achieve.

Now parliamentarians who are going directly in my view against the vote on the 23rd of July 2016, to leave the European Union are making a great deal more difficult for the government and I feel that they are also massively letting the UK down and the British people. I think it's an unforgivable situation. I think scandalous and I think what we will see emerge out of this in the medium to long term is quite a revolution in British politics. The way we do things will have to change.

The views and opinions expressed by the speaker do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.