Theresa May’s fragile grip on power came closer to slipping away last night, as a leading pro-Remain Tory MP demanded that she “get a spine” and stop being held hostage by a handful of pro-Brexit MPs.
Anna Soubry, Conservative MP for Broxtowe, even went as far as saying that she would quit the party if a “hard ideological Brexiteer” like Jacob Rees-Mogg took over as the party’s leader.
The Tory MP told Newsnight:
“They are not the Tory Party I joined 40 years ago, and it is about time Theresa stood up to them and slung ‘em out. They have taken down Major, they took down Cameron, two great leaders neither of whom stood up to them.”
“If it comes to it I am not going to stay in a party which has been taken over by the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson. They are not proper Conservatives.”
“Frankly, people have got to grow some, get a spine, stiffen up, stand up to these people – most of them are ghastly bullies but also cowards at the same time – and speak up for their constituents and what is right for our country.”
Soubry then went on to say that she was more than happy to leave the Conservative Party if the situation did not improve, and that she was willing to “form some new alliance” if the Prime Minister continued her cosy alliance with the far-right of the Conservative Party in order to sustain her premiership.
.@Anna_Soubry tells @nicholaswatt it’s time Theresa May stood up to the “hard ideological Brexiteers” and “slung ‘em out” #newsnight pic.twitter.com/BMpbWMEILo
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) February 5, 2018
Some of the Conservative MPs in question, such as Brexiteer Nadine Dorries, questioned Soubry’s interview, and even went as far as saying that her intervention was “disturbing”.
Am I the only person who finds this interview slightly disturbing? https://t.co/5vMJ0wP52L
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) February 5, 2018
One thing is clear: the Conservative Party is at breaking point. With Corbyn and Labour waiting in the wings, May’s ‘coalition of chaos’ is slowly unravelling before her. As she struggles to keep warring factions of the Conservative Party on-side and on-message, it’s evident that this shambles of government is anything but “strong and stable”.
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