Tory whip quits ahead of parliament’s crunch vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal
A Tory whip has resigned on the eve of a crunch vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal in parliament.
Gareth Johnson tendered his resignation from the Government Whips' Office in a letter to the Prime Minister today, saying it was “possibly the hardest decision I have ever made”.
The Dartford MP criticised the so-called Irish backstop in May’s withdrawal agreement, with his decision to step down an early sign that assurances given by the EU today may not convince parliamentarians to back May’s deal.
"The ‘back stop’, contained in the agreement, gives our country no clear, unilateral path out of the European Union and ensures we will be fettered in our ability to negotiate trade deals with other nations in the future,” Johnson wrote.
The Leave voter added: “I am also a committed Unionist and I cannot accept the additional regulatory compliance required of Northern Ireland that would set it apart from the rest of the United Kingdom.”
May’s backstop would tie the UK into a customs union with the EU following a transition period in order to avoid a hard border in ireland, and the UK could not leave the arrange of its own accord.
Earlier today the EU said it does not want to use the backstop, and would work hard to agree a permanent trade deal with the UK to avoid using it.
However, the bloc also reiterated that it would renegotiate May’s Brexit deal.
MPs tomorrow could choose to vote the deal down, with the Economist Intelligence Unit predicting that an extension of Article 50 is the most likely outcome of the vote.