Civil war Tories roll out plot to protect Cameron’s leadership as Bojo and Gove back him regardless of EU result
SENIOR Tories last night began a major operation to save David Cameron’s Premiership from the ruins of his party’s EU referendum civil war.
The PM will lead the peace drive personally with an address to the nation from No10’s steps early this morning soon after the historic vote’s result is announced.
Senior aides said last night his statement will be “unifying and healing”.
He will also offer major olive branches in a bid to reunite furious Brexit-backing MPs, as well as the many millions who voted for Leave or Remain and are left bitterly disappointed.
But it also emerged last night that a group of loyal Tory MPs who were backing Leave have been amassing dozens of signatures from their Brexit-supporting colleagues to put in a letter calling for Mr Cameron to stay on in Downing Street, no matter what the result is.
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The pro-EU Premier will face deafening calls to resign if Britain votes to walk away from Brussels for misjudging the will of the nation.
Some angry senior Eurosceptics also say the bad blood which his ‘Project Fear’ attacks on Leave arguments have whipped up mean he is unable to command the whole party’s respect ever again.
But the letter, dubbed ‘Operation Save Dave’ by some, is a determined bid to head off any leadership challenge.
Two thirds of all Brexit-backing Tory MPs have signed it so far -- 84 out of 128.
They included some of the Leave campaign’s biggest beasts such as Cabinet ministers Michael Gove, Chris Grayling, John Whittingdale and Priti Patel, plus former London Mayor and leadership rival Boris Johnson.
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Speaking out to back the PM as the polls closed last night, Commons Leader Mr Grayling told The Sun: “The most important thing for the Conservative Party is reunite, follow wishes of electorate, and get behind David Cameron as we do so, whatever the result”.
A Brexit-backing senior minister added: “A leadership challenge and a new contest that goes on for months is the very last thing we need right now, even if the result is Brexit.
“We need stability, not least to keep the markets under control.”
The MP who organised the letter, former Foreign Office minister Robert Syms, said: “All of us are anxious to pull together.
“We want a stable government to continue and for David Cameron to carry the 2015 manifesto.”
But No10 fears the letter may also highlight deep divisions that remain in the party.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith who resigned in fury from the Cabinet in March had not signed it by yesterday afternoon.
Another of the PM’s bitter critics, sacked former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, has pointedly refused to sign it.
A leadership challenge and a new contest that goes on for months is the very last thing we need right now, even if the result is Brexit
Brexit-backing minister
One MP also told The Sun they had signed the letter but would vote to oust David Cameron in a no-confidence vote if 50 rebels club together to force one, and expects others to do the same.
The MP said: “If there is a no-confidence vote then Cameron is in trouble.
“Many of us who signed the letter in public would vote against him in the privacy of the ballot box.”
Other MPs told of deeper anger with George Osborne, who is seen to be behind some of the most heavy handed Brexit scare stories.
Several are calling for the Chancellor to be moved from the Treasury in the PM’s reshuffle.
No10 sources dismissed claims that he had written two different speeches depending on the referendum result.
Instead, Mr Cameron is waiting to hear the final result and crucially the margin of victory before he decides exactly what to say at dawn.
If we stay in the EU, the PM will pledge to keep pushing for major reform in Brussels including on the free movement rule to curb immigration.
No10 aides have also suggested making Leave boss Mr Gove his Deputy Prime Minister in an immediate gesture to Brexit backers.
But Mr Cameron is expected to wait until at least after the weekend before making any changes to the government.
He may also postpone an expected reshuffle until September — or even as late as 2017 — to use the spectre of sackings and promotions to keep his MPs in line.
No10 also plans to roll out a series of major announcements and decisions in other policy areas over the next month in a bid to divert attentions from the EU.
A decision on whether to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport is now expected in two weeks time.
And the long-awaited Chilcot report into the Iraq war will be published on July 6.
A vote on renewing the Trident nuclear deterrent may also be rushed forward in a bid to unite Tory MPs against divided Labour.
Tory Leave MPs who signed pro-Cameron letter
STUART ANDREW, GREG KNIGHT, NIGEL ADAMS, ANDREA LEADSOM, LUCY ALLAN, EDWARD LEIGH, DAVID AMESS, JACK LOPRESTI, RICHARD BACON, KAREN LUMLEY, HENRY BELLINGHAM, CRAIG MACKINLAY, BOB BLACKMAN, KIT MALTHOUSE, CRISPIN BLUNT, SCOTT MANN, JULIAN BRAZIER, PAUL MAYNARD, CONOR BURNS, JASON MCCARTNEY, DAVID BURROWES, NIGEL MILLS, MARIA CAULFIELD, PENNY MORDAUNT, JAMES CLEVERLY, SHERYL MURRAY, GEOFFREY CLIFTON-BROWN, ANDREW MURRISON, CHRIS DAVIES, DAVID NUTTALL, JAMES DAVIES, PRITI PATEL, MIMS DAVIES, MIKE PENNING, PHILIP DAVIES, ANDREW PERCY, STEVE DOUBLE, STEPHEN PHILLIPS, JAMES DUDDRIDGE, WILL QUINCE, GEORGE EUSTICE, DOMINIC RAAB, NIGEL EVANS, JACOB REES-MOGG, MICHAEL FABRICANT, PAUL SCULLY, SUELLA FERNANDES, HENRY SMITH, LIAM FOX, ROYSTON SMITH, MARK FRANCOIS, ANDREW STEPHENSON, RICHARD FULLER, IAIN STEWART, MARCUS FYSH
JULIAN STURDY, NUS GHANI, RISHI SUNAK, ZAC GOLDSMITH, DESMOND SWAYNE, MICHAEL GOVE, ROBERT SYMS, CHRIS GRAYLING, DEREK THOMAS, CHRIS GREEN, MICHAEL TOMLINSON, REBECCA HARRIS, ANNE-MARIE TREVELYAN, JOHN HAYES, MARTIN VICKERS, CHRIS HEATON-HARRIS, THERESA VILLIERS, GORDON HENDERSON, CHARLES WALKER, GERALD HOWARTH, JAMES WHARTON, RANIL JAYAWARDENA, JOHN WHITTINGDALE, ANDREA JENKYNS, MIKE WOOD, BORIS JOHNSON, WILLIAM WRAGG, GARETH JOHNSON, NADHIM ZAHAWI, STEPHEN METCALFE, JUSTIN TOMLINSON
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