There will be two more momentous issues discussed at this morning’s cabinet – neither on the PM’s own agenda, but which will be forced on her by recalcitrant colleagues.
Yes another two historic decisions. Yawn.
One group of ministers – Rudd, Gauke, Clark and conceivably Hammond and Lidington too, inter alia – will warn the PM that they will resign after cabinet unless she commits that there will be ANOTHER amendable meaningful vote on 13 February, that would allow them at that juncture to vote to take a no-deal Brexit off the table.
Presumably when presented with this ultimatum the PM will concede. But who can be sure any more?
Otherwise they will vote for the Cooper/Boles amendment tonight – which turns the PM into servant rather than master of the Commons on the one issue that defines whether she is really in charge, namely when we leave the EU, and would be the equivalent of submitting their resignations.
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Martin Narey
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To be clear, the number of centreground Tories who tell me they will ‘probably’ vote for Cooper/Boles means it probably passes, whether or not the ministers quit to join them in the rebel lobby – since Labour will whip its MPs to back it (though a fair number of Labour MPs will defy the whip and vote with the PM).
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