Brexit news: Cabinet ministers pile pressure on Theresa May to give MPs early vote on her deal

Two Cabinet ministers today piled pressure on Theresa May to give MPs an early vote on her Brexit deal.

Greg Clark and Amber Rudd called on the Prime Minister to allow Parliament to choose how Britain leaves the European Union, or if it should at all.

Sources revealed Mrs May is ready to bring forward the Commons vote on the withdrawal agreement she struck with Brussels to early January.

Downing Street originally said the vote would be January 21 at the latest, but government sources later suggested January 14. The earliest it could be held is January 7, when the House comes back from its Christmas break.

Business Secretary Mr Clark said on Sky News: “Now is the time to establish what would pass through Parliament so we can provide that certainty that’s needed.”

Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Rudd told reporters as she set off for work that she, like Mr Clark, gave Mrs May’s deal her “full support, but if it was vetoed by MPs there should be a series of votes on every option, including a second referendum.

“We need to find out where the will of Parliament is, where the majority of MPs will vote in Parliament,” said Ms Rudd. “Nothing should be off the table. We should consider all options.”

A third senior minister, Solicitor General Robert Buckland, also came out for allowing the Commons to vote — something that Mrs May has fiercely resisted. “I think if all the parties agreed to it then it’s something that might well work,” he said.

Yesterday, Education Secretary Damian Hinds and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox both voiced support for parliamentary votes on all the Brexit options if Mrs May’s deal could not get through the Commons. The Prime Minister was due to strongly condemn calls for a second Brexit referendum in a statement this afternoon.

A new threat to Mrs May’s dogged attempts to defend her deal emerged today. Labour party sources suggested a confidence vote could be sprung within days in an attempt to topple the Government in its disarray.

Several shadow Cabinet ministers, including deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, are pushing for this option in order to prevent her from dictating the pace of events in Parliament.

In addition, Labour was looking for opportunities to force an emergency vote this week on the Brexit blueprint.

Brexit: The week ahead

In a sign of the tensions at the heart of Government, Justice Secretary David Gauke signalled he would quit the Government if it pursued a no-deal Brexit. In an interview with the Financial Times he said: “I couldn’t support a conscious decision to crash out at the end of March and I don’t think there are many who could.”

Former universities minister Sam Gyimah, who wants a vote on Mrs May’s deal as soon as possible, told the Evening Standard: “We have to level with Parliament and the public about the choices that we face. Delaying the vote and running down the clock is reckless because it’s the British people’s future which is at stake.”

Privately, Cabinet ministers are saying support for a second referendum as a fall-back option has grown in recent days. “If politicians cannot reach an agreement, what else can you do but go back to the people?” a minister asked.