Theresa May forced to give Tory MPs chance to block No Deal Brexit to avoid mass walkout of pro-EU ministers
Tomorrow the House of Commons will vote on whether or not Britain should leave the EU without a deal
THERESA May tonight promised Tory MPs CAN vote to block a No Deal Brexit after the Commons defeated her deal again.
In a bid to stop dozens of ministers quitting, the PM announced a “free vote” when MPs have their say on No Deal tomorrow.
And Mrs May hinted that she will back a delay to Brexit instead of going for No Deal.
Last month the Prime Minister promised that if her deal was defeated, MPs would have a choice between leaving the EU on March 29 or pushing back the Brexit date.
Brexiteers wanted Mrs May to order Tories to vote for No Deal.
But that would force out Remainer ministers such as Amber Rudd – while whipping in favour of a delay would mean pro-Brexit ministers walking out.
Speaking after her deal fell short by 149 votes, the PM told the Commons: “This is an issue of grave importance for the future of our country. Just like the referendum, there are strongly held and equally legitimate views on both sides.
“For that reason, I can confirm that this will be a free vote on this side of the House.
“I have personally struggled with this choice as I am sure many other Honourable Members will.
“I am passionate about delivering the result of the referendum. But I equally passionately believe that the best way to do that is to leave in an orderly way with a deal and I still believe there is a majority in the house for that course of action.
“And I am conscious also of my duties as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of the potential damage to the Union that leaving without a deal could do when one part of our country is without devolved governance.”
Mrs May suggested that she will personally vote against No Deal in tomorrow’s showdown.
The free vote means that the Commons will almost certainly vote against leaving without a deal on March 29.
That would lead to a further vote on Thursday, on whether the Government should ask the EU for a delay to the Brexit process.
Tonight Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns predicted the possibility of No Deal being ruled out would help win round hardline Brexiteers to back the withdrawal agreement.
He said: “I don’t think this is the end of the deal necessarily. If No Deal is taken off the table I suspect there will be a lot of ERG colleagues who believe it may the time to support a deal.
“But it’s a matter of seeing what we can do to resolve their concerns.”
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