After Theresa May refuses to say whether she backs Brexit, how do the PM’s top team REALLY feel about quitting the EU?
The Sun asked Remain-backing ministers if they would vote Leave in a rerun of the referendum
AFTER Theresa May's refusal to say whether or not she actually supports Brexit, the rest of the Cabinet are under pressure to reveal how they would vote on the EU if they had another chance.
A majority of ministers voted AGAINST Brexit in last year's referendum - and when asked by The Sun if they regret their choice, most of them took the same path as the PM and refused to answer at all.
THERESA MAY - Prime Minister
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY
Theresa May campaigned for Remain during the referendum but when she became PM vowed to uphold the vote result, saying: “Brexit means Brexit and we’re going to make a success of it.”
Asked on Tuesday how she would vote in a re-run of the referendum, Mrs May refused to say.
She said: “I don't answer hypothetical questions. I voted Remain for good reasons at the time but circumstances move on.”
DAMIAN GREEN – First Secretary of State
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: REMAIN
Asked on Tuesday if he stuck to his position on voting to stay in, the First Secretary said: “I was on the board of the Stronger In campaign, nobody fought harder than me for Remain.
"So I don't resile from my views.”
PHILIP HAMMOND - Chancellor
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY (REMAIN?)
Philip Hammond insists he respects the result of the referendum - but Brexiteers have accused him of being overly gloomy.
When a committee of MPs asked him to explain the upsides of Brexit yesterday all he could say was: “I would hope that once we have the freedom to make our own decisions we will make those decisions in a way that maximises the prosperity of the British people.”
BORIS JOHNSON - Foreign Secretary
Before referendum: LEAVE
Now: LEAVE
Boris was one of the most full-throated campaigners for Brexit, and has kept up the pressure for a quick and clean departure from the EU.
Last week he warned against those who think we will “bottle out of Brexit and end up in some dingy ante-room of the EU”.
AMBER RUDD – Home Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY (REMAIN?)
A passionate campaigner for us to stay in and seen as one of the biggest Europhiles in Cabinet, Amber Rudd has been pushing for a “soft Brexit” inside the Cabinet alongside Philip Hammond.
DAVID DAVIS – Brexit Secretary
Before referendum: LEAVE
Now: LEAVE
A leading campaigner for many years to exit the EU, the man in charge of negotiating our exit from the bloc is still firmly committed to doing so.
MICHAEL FALLON - Defence Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY (LEAVE?)
Although he previously claimed the EU kept Britain safer, Michael Fallon has hinted that he welcomes the chance for the UK to become a greater player in defence around the world.
Speaking in London last month, Sir Michael said we should “spread our wings further across the world” as Britain becomes “increasingly global” in the wake of Brexit.
DAVID LIDINGTON – Justice Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY (LEAVE?)
After backing the UK to stay in the EU last year, the former Europe minister told the BBC in July that Brexit had liberated Britain when it comes to doing deals around the world.
He said: “One of the frustrations about being part of the EU - although its mass gives it leverage in international trade - it moves at a tortoise-like pace.”
JEREMY HUNT – Health Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: LEAVE
A leading light for the Remain campaign during the referendum, Jeremy Hunt has changed his tune – blaming the EU Commission for being "arrogant" and "disappointing" in the negotiations.
He told LBC last week he had become a Brexit convert and said the dire economic warnings which had made him back staying in the EU had not come true.
JUSTINE GREENING - Education Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY
Justine Greening has largely stayed out of the Brexit debate - both before and after the referendum.
A source close to her told The Sun last night that the Remain or Leave question is now “utterly irrelevant”, adding: “We are leaving the EU and everyone should focus on making a success of it.”
SAJID JAVID - Business Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY (LEAVE?)
Sajid Javid disappointed Brexiteers when he opted to back Remain despite his track record as a fervent Eurosceptic.
But after the referendum he has again struck an anti-EU tone, blasting a court case aimed at blocking the triggering of Article 50 as “a clear attempt to frustrate the will of the British people”.
LIAM FOX – International Trade Secretary
Before referendum: LEAVE
Now: LEAVE
Another decades-long Eurosceptic, Liam Fox campaigned strongly for the UK to leave and is now passionate in his belief Brexit provides a huge opportunity to create new trade deals around the world.
GREG CLARK – Business Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY (REMAIN?)
An ally of Mr Hammond in the “soft Brexit” wing of the Cabinet, Greg Clark has not said anything to suggest he has changed his mind from last year – when he said “we have a brighter future as a leading part of Europe than out of it”.
KAREN BRADLEY - Culture Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: LEAVE
The Culture Secretary, another ultra-loyal follower of Mrs May, dismissed the question of her referendum vote as hypothetical but confirmed that she now thinks of herself as a Leave supporter.
She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain yesterday: “We are leaving the European Union, I am making sure we leave. I'm part of a Government that is leaving, so I guess you would say Leave."
CHRIS GRAYLING - Transport Secretary
Before referendum: LEAVE
Now: LEAVE
Chris Grayling, one of the Leave-backing Cabinet ministers before the referendum, is still banging the drum for Brexit - at Tory conference he called for new transport links to “deliver the trade opportunities that will help us secure the prosperous future this country deserves”.
DAVID GAUKE – Work and Pensions Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY
David Gauke backed Remain on the grounds that the economic uncertainty caused by Brexit would harm business.
Since the referendum, he has barely mentioned Brexit - even though the world of work is set to be drastically changed if immigration from the EU falls.
MICHAEL GOVE – Environment Secretary
Before referendum: LEAVE
Now: LEAVE
One of the six Cabinet ministers who defied David Cameron to join the campaign group Vote Leave last year, Michael Gove has not changed his mind in the year since. He is currently pushing for radical reform of farming and fishing laws after we no longer have to follow EU rules.
LIZ TRUSS - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: LEAVE
Liz Truss admitted yesterday that she would vote Leave if she could have her decision again - because the economic damage predicted by the Remain campaign never came to pass.
She told the BBC’s Daily Politics: “I made a judgment thinking it would be bad for the economy - since the referendum things have been more positive. The facts have changed and I’ve changed my mind.”
PRITI PATEL - International Development Secretary
Before referendum: LEAVE
Now: LEAVE
Priti Patel is another keen Brexit backer who has continued to push the cause of quitting the EU - she described it as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to reduce the burden of red tape on businesses.
DAVID MUNDELL - Scottish Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY
David Mundell campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU - pitting him against his son Oliver, a Tory MSP who was on the Leave side of the debate.
The Scottish Secretary now argues that Brexit will bring huge advantages for Scotland as Holyrood captures new powers currently held by Brussels, although Scottish Tories Ruth Davidson remains hugely sceptical of the Leave movement.
JAMES BROKENSHIRE - Northern Ireland Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY (LEAVE?)
As Northern Ireland Secretary, James Brokenshire largely stays out of day-to-day politics. But speaking at Tory conference last week, he defied Brussels’ attempts to divide Northern Ireland over Brexit, telling activists: “We will leave the European Union in 2019 as one United Kingdom. That includes leaving the single market and the customs union, so that we can strike new trade deals with the rest of the world.”
ALUN CAIRNS – Welsh Secretary
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY (LEAVE?)
Although a Remainer last year, the Welsh Secretary rejected calls for a "softer" Brexit after the General Election, and said leaving the EU is an opportunity to change Wales for the better.
He also rejected calls for a second referendum, but wouldn't say how he vote if there was one, a spokesman for him saying he "hasn't got a view on hypothetical questions".
ANDREA LEADSOM – Leader of the House of Commons
Before referendum: LEAVE
Now: LEAVE
A passionate Brexiteer – the minister has recently called on the media to be more “patriotic” in their coverage as she continues to bang the drum about increased opportunities outside the EU.
PATRICK MCLOUGHLIN - Party Chairman
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY
Patrick McLoughlin was part of George Osborne’s Project Fear team during the referendum campaign, warning that Brexit could wreck Britain’s car industry and drive up the price of public transport.
He changed his tune within weeks, urging MPs to abide by the result of the vote, and has remained steadfastly loyal to Theresa May ever since.
And not forgetting Labour's own Brexit dilemma...
JEREMY CORBYN - Labour leader
Before referendum: REMAIN
Now: WON’T SAY
Jeremy Corbyn claimed to support the Remain campaign, but was dogged by rumours he secretly wanted the Brexit side to win all along.
Yesterday a spokesman for the Labour boss refused to say how he would vote in a re-run, telling reporters: “There isn't any referendum in prospect and nor do we support one.”
