Sir Bill Cash - Tory rebels unjustified in attempts to block Brexit

Sir Bill Cash hit out at pro-Remain colleagues who he said were 'collaborating with Labour' to vote against Theresa May's measure to enshrine the Brexit date in law.

It came 15 Conservative MPs, including Kenneth Clarke, Anna Soubry and Dominic Grieve, were branded 'Brexit mutineers' for threatening to join Jeremy Corbyn in voting against the Government's position.

One of them, Stafford's pro-Remain MP Jeremy Lefroy, said the Prime Minister's move was 'unnecessary' because the leave date had already been determined by Article 50.

He said it was 'completely ridiculous' that he was trying to frustrate the Brexit process, insisting that he was acting with the best interests of his constituents in mind.

Stone MP Mr Cash, who is chairman of the European scrutiny committee, said Tory rebels were playing into the hands of those in the ‘unelected House of Lords’ who want to stop Britain from leaving the EU.

"How this plays out depends very much on whether they carry out their threats," he told the Express & Star.

"To actually collaborate with labour by voting against the Government's proposals – and to jeopardise our position on the bill – would be completely unjustified."

Mr Cash added that they risked sparking a constitutional crisis which would ‘probably take us into the sphere of a General Election and danger of a Corbynista government, which as good Conservatives, they must abhor’.

Mr Lefroy insisted he had no plans to block Brexit, but said he was committed to scrutinising the process to make sure he protected jobs for his constituents and the UK economy.

"To give the idea that I am trying to frustrate or block Brexit is completely ridiculous. That is absolutely not the case," he said.

"If i had wanted to do that I would have voted against Article 50 and against the second reading of the EU Withdrawal Bill.

"I am committed to ensuring there is the least amount of disruption as we leave the EU."

This week MPs voted by 318 to 52 to repeal the European Communities Act 1972, which enshrines the supremacy of EU law in this country.

But Labour has confirmed it would try to vote down attempts to fix the date of Britain’s exit from the EU in law – raising doubts about whether the UK will ever leave.

Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve also said he will oppose the legislation, and described Brexit as an ‘extraordinary painful process of national self-mutilation’.

Dudley South MP Mike Wood, who campaigned for Leave in the EU referendum, said that any internal bickering was taking away focus from the vital details of the Brexit negotiations with the EU.

"There are a number of MPs who have long-standing pro-EU views, and I respect them even if I disagree with them," he said.

"They key thing here is that we need to work together to implement the decision that the public voted for last year, as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"In reality the debate over fixing a date in law reflects a very small difference in emphasis, as Article 50 has already dictated that we are leaving on March 29, 2019.

"Clearly there are some people who are determined to do anything they can to delay Brexit, and such behaviour is not acceptable.

"We need to spend our time and energy on securing a good deal for Britain."

On Tuesday Mr Clarke was applauded by Labour MPs for saying it was 'ridiculous and unnecessary' to include a concrete Brexit date for the UK in the EU Withdrawal bill.

Margot James: "Regardless of which lobby we are in Conservative colleagues are acting in what they believe to be the interests of their constituents and do not deserved to be pilloried in this way."