To: scion who wrote (11371 ) 11/21/2018 4:42:14 AM From: scion Respond to Each chaotic day brings a People’s Vote closer Rachel Sylvester thetimes.co.uk Remainer MPs have been pushed too far by Brexit extremists and will now stand and fight for what they believe Until now ambiguity has kept Westminster in suspended animation, but the clarity of the 585-page withdrawal agreement means there is something for everyone to hate — Schrödinger’s box has been opened so the cat inside it can no longer be both dead and alive. More than two years after the EU referendum, this is the moment of truth for Brexit. The fantasies promised by the Leave campaign have run up against the harsh realities of a painful negotiation. The grey areas that allowed all the factions to think they were getting what they wanted have been turned into black and white. Mrs May says that the choice is between her deal, no-deal and no Brexit, in the hope that she will convince both Brexiteers and Remainers to support her plan for fear of something worse. The calculation in No 10 is that if MPs vote against Mrs May’s deal the markets will crash, the pound will follow and then naughty backbenchers will be terrified into changing their minds — an extraordinary attitude for the supposed party of business to take. But it is far from clear that this “kamikaze strategy” will work. There is too much at stake for politicians on both sides of the Brexit divide who see this as a choice between party and country. There could also be a general election, Labour’s preferred option, but under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act two thirds of MPs would have to vote for a new poll. After last year’s disaster the Conservatives are unlikely to want to go to the electorate again. An election would also resolve none of the Brexit dilemmas while other policies would be ignored in a campaign that would inevitably become all about Europe. Amber Rudd, the new work and pensions secretary, has said publicly that she would favour a new referendum that could stop Brexit over crashing out. Alistair Burt, the pro-European Foreign Office minister, issued a warning on Twitter at the weekend. “Be very clear,” he wrote. “If an agreed deal on leaving between the Govt and the EU is voted down by purist Brexiteers, do not be surprised if consensus on accepting the result of the Referendum by Remain voting MPs breaks down. Parliament will not support no deal.” Nicky Morgan, the former education secretary, also wrote on the Conservative Home website yesterday that “no Brexit” was a “very real danger” if the draft agreement was rejected by parliament. The Labour leader said earlier this month that “we can’t stop” Brexit. He’s wrong — voters, not politicians, can decide if they want to stop it now they know exactly what it means. thetimes.co.uk
