May calls for cabinet slaughter while MPs reject all Brexit options | Policy

Theresa May will summon her warring cabinet to Downing Street for a five-hour confrontation on Tuesday after the parliament has again failed to regroup behind an alternative to its rejected Brexit deal.

Three options – a common market, a customs union and a second referendum – were all narrowly rejected in the indicative voting process, prompting further discussions on the speedy conduct of general elections.

After Conservative MPs failed to support an option in sufficient numbers, the House of Commons was immediately charged.

Conservative MP Nick Boles said he had failed to convince his colleagues to compromise on his "Common Market 2.0" project and announced his departure from the party. Proponents of a second referendum across parliament have also been accused of increasing the risk of non-agreement by refusing to support the Brexit's light options.

Brexit Secretary General Steve Barclay said the firm should decide the way forward. There are only 10 days left before Britain leaves the European Union without an agreement, unless the government gets another delay from Brussels.

"This house continually refused to leave without agreement, just as it refused to leave at all. Therefore, the only option is to find a way for the UK to leave with an agreement, "he said.

An advisor from Downing Street said that a presidential election presided by May was being "tested" and that some in the # 10 bunker considered it "the least bad of options".

Ministers were asked to abstain on Monday during the voting process, which was designed by a multiparty alliance of MPs led by former Conservative Minister Oliver Letwin.

The motion on the customs union presented by former Conservative Chancellor Ken Clarke was rejected by a margin of only three votes, by 273 votes against 276, while a second referendum on the Brexit n & # 39; He had not reached a majority of only 12 votes.

The agreement on the "common market 2.0" to the Norwegian supported by Boles was also rejected, by 261 votes against 282, despite the support of the Labor Party and the SNP. Only 33 Conservative MPs supported it.

Boles said: "I failed, mainly because my party failed to compromise" – and dramatically announced to MPs that he would no longer sit in the House of Commons. Commons as a curator before leaving the premises.

His emotional statement focused on the Conservative Party's toxic atmosphere over Brexit. Mark Francois, a spokesman said, told BBC World tonight that he believed the Chancellor had privately encouraged MPs to support a customs union, which he called "coup d & # 39; State. "

"If you listen, Mr. Hammond," he added, "my fraternal message to you is:" Set yours! "

The three alternative options to Brexit were however considerably reduced compared to the Prime Minister's contract, which was rejected for the third time by 58 votes last Friday.

MEPs also refused to support a separate attempt by SNP MP Joanna Cherry to allow Parliament to prevent a Brexit without a deal.

Once Parliament has spoken, ministers will have to decide whether or not they want to strengthen their relations with the EU in order to create a majority; appointment for a Brexit without agreement on April 12; or give May's deal a last blow this week, probably Wednesday.

Several ministers, including Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox, insist that an exit without agreement would be preferable to a customs union. They claim the support of more than half of the parliamentary party, many of whom have signed a letter with May the point.

State Secretary for the Interior, Said Javid, candidate for the post of conservative leader to succeed May, clearly explained his position on Monday, saying that a customs union might appear to be "a kind of comfortable cover "but was" actually more of a straitjacket ".

However, another well-organized group of ministers, including Amber Rudd and David Gauke, is determined to avoid agreement and believes May should instead seek a multi-party consensus.

A cabinet source said: "Honestly, I think the prime minister must make a firm decision."

Ministers were told to expect three hours of political cabinet – excluding civil servants – on Tuesday morning, and two hours of plenary session in the afternoon.

May's official spokeswoman stressed her persistent objections to Britain's participation in a customs union on Monday. "She has repeatedly stated that she believes it is important for the UK to have its own trade policy," he said.

Number 10 did not preclude sending the Prime Minister's approval back to the House of Commons for the fourth time if the Speaker allows it.

May may table it at the same time as an amendment proposed last week by Labor MPs Gareth Snell and Lisa Nandy, allowing Parliament to have more say in the next round of Brexit negotiations. This could help the government circumvent the Speaker's ruling that May can not bring her agreement back without change.

May announced last Friday that she would accept the Snell-Nandy amendment, and conservative bads hope that he will be able to attract the support of a series of Labor MPs from Brexit-friendly seats this year. week. Only five people voted in favor of his contract last week after learning that she would support him.

If it reestablishes its agreement, the prime minister will probably try to confront it with a backbench effort to push the government to a more moderate agreement, accentuating the Brexiters' dilemma, which prefers a sharper break with the government. # 39; EU.

Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: "I would like Parliament to propose an option against the Prime Minister's agreement. I am confident that the Prime Minister's agreement will prevail. "

It should also highlight the risk that failure to find a solution may result in a risky general election.

Many Conservative MPs, including Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, changed sides in support of his deal on Friday after May's promise to leave Downing Street if she won the vote. May invited MPs who changed party in favor of her agreement to meet her, in her last attempt to strengthen her support.

EU27 leaders have granted the United Kingdom an extension of the deadline set in Article 50 until 12 April, but if it wants to avoid any agreement, it will have to ask for a longer extension. at an emergency summit of the EU next week.

According to Brussels sources, this would only be granted if the Prime Minister indicated a plausible alternative plan for Brexit that could benefit from the support of a stable majority in the Commons.

While the debate led by deputies on the Brexit options continued on Monday, MPs also held a separate discussion triggered by a collective petition calling for the revocation of Article 50, which raised more than six million signatures. The petition is the most popular in the history of Parliament.

Member of the independent group Chuka Umunna said the youth would suffer the worst effects of the lack of agreement. "They will never forgive this generation of politicians if we let this catastrophe happen," he said.