As a vote on the government’s plan to hold an election beckons, the Prime Minister has made the decision to restore the Conservative whip to 10 of the 21 Brexit rebels. This group collectively lost the whip when they voted for the Benn bill which forced the government to seek an Article 50 extension rather than leave the EU with no deal.
These MPs have been welcomed back following a meeting with Boris Johnson:
- Alastair Burt
- Caroline Nokes
- Nicholas Soames
- Greg Clarke
- Ed Vaizey
- Margot James
- Richard Benyon
- Stephen Hammond
- Steve Brine
- Richard Harrington
Those who have returned to the fold have voted with the government on key votes: for the programme motion and against the Letwin amendment. Of this group, several have already indicated that they do not plan to seek re-election. Those who do can now stand as Conservative candidates in the forthcoming election. In the case of some of these MPs – notably Steve Brine and Stephen Hammond – they are seen to have a much better chance of holding their seats for the Tories than a new candidate.
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