Brexit meltdown: See what your MP has to say as Parliament in turmoil
Midlands MPs have weighed in on the Brexit crisis embroiling Prime Minister Theresa May, her party and the whole country.
Here's what they had to say.
Tom Watson MP - West Bromwich East (Lab)
Tom Watson says it is time for Labour to be given a chance to rescue Brexit as he called for a General Election amid turmoil at the heart of Government.
Labour’s deputy leader insisted a second referendum should not be ruled out if leaving the EU is not viewed to be in the country’s best interests.
Speculation was mounting last night that enough Conservative MPs had filed letters to trigger a confidence vote on the PM.
It comes after several ministers, including Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, quit over her Brexit plan, throwing the Government into crisis. MPs from both the Conservatives and Labour in the region say they cannot see how the deal will get through Parliament, while some believe she could be ousted from Number 10 within hours.
Labour has confirmed it will vote against the deal, while many Tories are set to revolt.
See also:
Mr Watson, MP for West Bromwich East, which voted overwhelmingly to leave, said: “The Government is in complete meltdown. May’s deal is bad for the country. Her Cabinet knows it and Parliament knows it.
"The deal does not protect jobs or livelihoods of the people in the West Midlands. It sets up a blind Brexit with no idea of what lies ahead.
“The Prime Minister is on the precipice, teetering on the edge of a no confidence vote by her own MPs. She’s being held to ransom by extreme right wingers in the Conservative Party.
"If this bad deal fails to pass through Parliament, which looks inevitable now, the people must be given a General Election. If this broken Government is too scared to have an election then all options are on the table, including a people’s vote.
“This deal does not do that and Labour will not vote for it.”
Pat McFadden MP - Wolverhampton South East (Lab)
Pat McFadden has insisted there should be a second referendum if Theresa May’s contentious Brexit deal fails to get through Parliament.
The Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East said the UK’s future relationship with the European Union should be put back to the people if Theresa May’s plan crashes and burns.
Mr McFadden also insisted changing Prime Minister will not solve the ‘fundamental’ problems with her Brexit deal. Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson has also said a second referendum, dubbed the People’s Vote, should not be ruled out.
Mr McFadden said: “The real problem isn’t who is the Prime Minister but what is the reality of Brexit compared to the promises made two years ago? If we change the person at the top, whoever is at the top we will still have the same problems.”
The Prime Minister’s position was more precarious than ever last night amid growing speculation of a leadership challenge over her draft Brexit agreement. MPs from both the Conservatives and Labour say they cannot see how the deal will get through Parliament.
Mr McFadden said: “If she cannot get the agreement through Parliament then I think we have to put the issue back to the people.”
Gavin Williamson MP - South Staffordshire (Con)
South Staffordshire MP and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “I’m very supportive of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has been absolutely clear on delivering Brexit as the British people voted for at the Referendum. I don’t think anybody can deny her resolve to do that.”
“The whole cabinet has fully supported it [the deal].”
Amanda Milling MP - Cannock Chase (Con)
Cannock Chase MP Amanda Milling has also backed the PM saying: “I am pleased we have secured a draft withdrawal agreement which delivers on the referendum. It is a pragmatic deal which enables us to leave the EU, while at the same time protecting our economic security, our national security and the integrity of the United Kingdom Union.
“The withdrawal agreement and political declaration paves the way for us to secure a comprehensive trading relationship with the EU post-Brexit.”
Jeremy Lefroy MP - Stafford (Con)
Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy has pleaded for unity as the Tory Party threatens to tear itself apart over Theresa May’s Brexit deal.
Mr Lefroy said: “I think it’s ridiculous that people are doing that.
“Everybody has to accept not they are not going to get everything they want out of it.”
Margot James MP - Stourbridge (Con)
Government minister Margot James has blasted leading Brexiteers for attempting to topple Theresa May, labelling them as ‘beneath contempt’ for trying to oust the PM.
Theresa May-loyalist Stourbridge MP Ms James fired a broadside at the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson for trying to remove her from the top job.
Brexit poster-boy Mr Rees-Mogg made a public show of his decision to submit a letter calling for a confidence vote in the Prime Minister after she came under fire over her Brexit deal in the Commons.
Asked about the actions of Tory Brexiteers, Ms James, who is digital minister said: “I think it’s beneath contempt.”
She added: “I think the deal is the best possible deal we can get. No deal would be catastrophic for the economy.”
Ian Austin MP - Dudley North (Lab)
Dudley North MP Ian Austin said: “My priority is to get the best deal for Dudley so I want to see an agreement which helps local businesses and protects jobs, safeguards employment rights and the environment and has a proper plan on immigration.
"I’ll be going through the detail, listening carefully to all the different views by people in Dudley, reading all the briefing and listening to the experts”.
Valerie Vaz MP - Walsall (Lab)
Theresa May’s Brexit deal will make people ‘poorer and less secure’, Labour’s Valerie Vaz insisted today.
The Walsall MP blasted the Conservatives and claimed their turmoil showed they do not have the country’s best interests at heart.
It came as she confirmed she would follow her party’s leadership and vote against the plan.
Ms Vaz said: “The problems lie within the Tory Party who do not appear to have the best interests of the country at heart. The fate of the Prime Minister is in the hands of her party. People did not vote to be poorer and less secure.”
Wendy Morton MP - Aldridge and Brownhills (Con)
Wendy Morton, Tory MP for Aldridge and Brownhills, has rallied behind the beleaguered PM, pledging her full support for her contentious Brexit deal.
Ms Morton said: “I fully support the Prime Minister in all that she is doing.
"We are still waiting for the final details to come back and I believe the deal is in the best interests of the country.”
