Members of the British Conservative Party have called on Prime Minister Theresa May to set out a timetable for her departure to support her Brexit deal, The Times reported, citing unnamed sources in the Cabinet.
Brexiteers “will back British Prime Minister May’s deal if she says when she’s quitting,” the paper claimed.
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According to the media outlet, May’s promise to step down soon after Brexit is delivered would help to calm down those Tories who strive for a Canada-style agreement with the EU.
“We know that the future relationship is not binding. This means she is the problem, not the deal per se, since it leaves plenty of flexibility for a successor to organise technical solutions for the Irish border and move towards Canada,” a source told The Times.
The report comes shortly after Andrew Lewer, the Tory MP for Northampton South, became the 25th MP to announce publicly that he had submitted a letter to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 committee, a parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons.
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Tory rules dictate that 48 members must submit their withdrawal of support for the leader – in this case Theresa May – in writing to the chairman to trigger a no-confidence vote.
“The 'deal' means we achieve none of the potential freedoms of Brexit but take all the EU's rules and restrictions without a seat at the table. It is not for the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, Civil Servants or other sectional interests to work towards a non-Brexit that tells the public that experts know better than they do…” Lewer wrote.
On Monday, Theresa May embarked on a two-week tour to sell her Brexit deal agreed upon by European leaders, with House of Commons expected to vote on 11 December.
“I’m looking ahead to 11 December and to when this House will be faced with the decision as to whether or not it wishes to deliver on the vote of the British people with a deal that not only delivers that vote but also protects their jobs,” she said at a parliament session on Monday.
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After years of negotiations, Theresa May and 27 other EU leaders clinched the divorce agreement and the political declaration on post-Brexit relations on Sunday in Brussels.
“This is the best possible deal. It is the only possible deal,” she said following the meeting, voicing hope that the UK Parliament would ratify the agreement.
The European Council suggested that the agreement enter into force on 30 March 2019, to provide for an ‘orderly’ withdrawal.