Senior
Tories have given the prime minister a deadline amid concerns she is leading
party to ‘utter destruction’
Senior Tories have given Theresa May just three months to improve or face a renewed attempt to oust her, amid concerns she is leading the party towards “utter destruction”.
In a sign of the fragility of the prime minister’s leadership after another week of cabinet infighting, figures inside the party said that a disastrous performance in May’s local elections could trigger a no-confidence vote.
There are
concerns they will produce a Tory meltdown in London. “There’s definitely been
a further shift against her,” said one ex-minister. “If people could wave a
magic wand tomorrow, she would be gone ... if we get wiped out in London, then
more will say things cannot get any better under her. The alternatives would be
the utter destruction of the Tory party or a chaotic leadership election, which
would at least offer some way out.”
A former
cabinet minister said: “It looks like these elections are going to be very bad.
We could well be wiped out in London and cities like Birmingham because there
is no reason to vote Tory. MPs think in two ways: what can I do to save my
seat, and what’s in it for me? I think something will then happen. People will
begin to manoeuvre over the leadership. There will be a degree of panic.”
Both foreign
secretary Boris Johnson and defence secretary Gavin Williamson face criticism
from colleagues over claims they are jostling for position. There has been a
backlash against Williamson from fellow frontbenchers after he issued a pointed
attack against Russia on the same day as revealing a past infidelity with a
co-worker while a manager at fireplace maker Elgin and Hall.
Some defence
figures are understood to have been annoyed by his claim that Russia could
cause “thousands and thousands and thousands” of deaths by damaging British
infrastructure. May appointed Williamson defence secretary in November.Some
ministers believe May should now shore up her position by reiterating her
post-election pledge to step aside willingly when MPs believe they are ready
for a new leader. Meanwhile, party veterans are trying to convince colleagues
to “get Brexit out of the way” before she is challenged – a sentiment still
popular among many mainstream MPs.
“The
reshuffle was a total disaster and upset a lot of people – people fired, people
moved sideways and people ignored,” said one former minister. “There is no way
she will fight another election. Certainly more letters have gone in.”
The crisis
has increased as May is now feeling the heat from new wings of the party.
Leading pro-Brexit MPs had regarded the prime minister as the most likely to
deliver the hard Brexit they envisage. However, some are reaching the view that
May can no longer be relied upon and are already plotting a rebellion against
the government later this year, when the EU withdrawal bill returns to the
Commons.
“She’s caught
between a rock and a hard place,” said another former minister. “The Brexiters
would knife her tomorrow if she steps one iota out of their imagined version of
Brexit, while the Remainers hold no loyalty towards her because of the way she
treated them.”
Amber Rudd,
the home secretary, is understood to have led the reprimand of Johnson during
this week’s cabinet after briefings that he would use the meeting to argue for
a “Brexit dividend” for the NHS.
One party
veteran said Johnson was still thinking about his chances. “The smart money may
not be on him but he is a huge beast in the jungle and he cannot be ignored,”
they said. “Some people think he is a liability but on the other hand he is
very popular among sections of the membership, particularly women. If he is not
handled properly he will go off the reservation.”
The
environment secretary Michael Gove’s supporters were also limbering up for
another push, he added. “There is some support for Govey.”
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