Tory chief whip Michael Gove has been calling round MPs to suggest that it might be better if Britain does not opt back into the European Arrest Warrant, Coffee House has learned.
Gove is aware that there will be a significant rebellion on the opt-in, with some estimating that around 50 Tory MPs already plan to vote against the measure. But this tactic, which some MPs think signals a dispute in government about the policy, and some think is simply the chief whip trying to sound out backbenchers using confusing and ornate language, could inflate the rebellion. Some MPs deeply involved in the brewing revolt believe Gove is actually encouraging colleagues to believe the opt-in will not happen, and that in the end 80 Conservatives could vote against, making it one of the bigger rebellions of this Parliament.
One MP said Gove approached him recently to make this intriguing suggestion:
‘The way it was broached to me was what would I think if we just did not opt back into the European Arrest Warrant? I thought this was better late than never and it must be that there is movement in Number 10 on this.’
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