BREXING APART
Which Tories are Remainers and can they block Brexit?
MORE than 20 Tories are diehard opponents of a No Deal Brexit - and could take drastic measures to block it.
Let's take a look at those within the ranks who could try to wreck wannabe PM Boris Johnson's big plan.
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What is Boris' big plan?
Boris appears to believe the UK can leave the EU with a renegotiated withdrawal agreement for Brexit in place.
This would replace Theresa May's deal - the one she failed to get through three times.
The EU have at no point said they would renegotiate the deal, but Boris apparently thinks he'll be able to swing it.
Boris has also floated the idea of holding back the £39billion EU divorce payment, saying there should be a "little bit of creative ambiguity about when and how that gets paid over".
Johnson also thinks the issue of the Irish border can be tackled after October 31, our deadline for leaving the EU, in the implementation period.
However, if we leave without a deal there will be no implementation period, and it would therefore not be possible to work out the issue at all.
Perhaps most significantly, Johnson has refused to rule out a No Deal Brexit, the sticking point which has left a number of Tory MPs extremely uneasy.
Here are the ones who are holding him to account.
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Remainer rebels
There are a handful of Tory MPs who are dedicated supporters of a second referendum or so-called "people's vote". These are:
- Dominic Grieve
The Tory MP for Beaconsfield and former Attorney General has said taking the UK out of the EU without a deal is "fundamentally wrong, and frankly unconstitutional". - Phillip Lee
The justice minister quit over the government's handling of Brexit on June 12. Lee, the MP for Bracknell, quit in order to back the meaningful vote amendment and said he would support a second referendum on the final Brexit deal. - Sam Gyimah
The one-time Tory leadership hopeful resigned from his role as universities minister in protest at the PM's Brexit plan in November 2018. He has been vocal in speaking out against a No Deal Brexit. - Guto Bebb
The Welsh Conservative stepped down as a minister over Theresa May's concessions to Brexiteers. He resigned to vote against the government on amendments to the Brexit Customs Bill. - Ken Clarke
The veteran Europhile voted for Theresa May's deal but would rather see the UK remain - and says a No Deal would cause "short-term chaos". Mr Clarke, 78, revealed in June he intends to retire at the next general election.
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Switchers?
Another group of Tory MPs voted Remain, then pledged to respect the EU referendum result and therefore backed Mrs May's deal.
But they accused hardline Brexiteers of sabotaging their own cause by voting against the withdrawal agreement, and are now likely to switch sides and oppose the new PM. They include:
- Oliver Letwin
The veteran Tory MP was among the signatories to a Labour-led bid to have the next PM rule out a No Deal. Sir Letwin recently admitted Parliament had now exhausted all options to prevent a No Deal. - Caroline Spelman
The MP for Meridien, the geographical centre of England, has been at the forefront of the bid to take No Deal off the table. But she's faced calls for votes of no confidence from members of her own constituency, which voted to Leave by 56 to 44 per cent. - Nicholas Soames
The grandson of Winston Churchill, who supports Jeremy Hunt in the leadership race, has accused Mr Johnson of misleading the public with his pledge to leave the EU by the end of October. - Jonathan Djanogly
The MP for Huntingdon is backing Matthew Hancock for PM. He said Hancock's plan for delivering Brexit was "based in reality and what's possible". He was one of the MPs to be defeated in the bid to take back parliamentary control of Brexit. - Antoinette Sandbach
The backbencher has said there is a "lack of respect" in the Conservative Party towards members who don't accept a No Deal Brexit. In June 2019 she says a colleague sent her messages on Twitter describing her as a "disgrace" and calling for her to leave the party. - Ed Vaizey
The Didcot and Wantage MP is the latest target of the Leave.EU campaign. Calls are being made for him to be ousted due to a lack of support for a no-matter-what Brexit. The former Culture Secretary joined forces with Labour’s Rachel Reeves to fight over the UK’s membership of the European Atomic Energy Community, Euratom. - Alistair Burt
The North East Bedfordshire MP may support leaving the EU but he resigned earlier in 2019 in order to vote against leaving without a deal. - Richard Harrington
The Watford MP believes leaving the EU without a deal would damage the economy and British businesses. He even called the possibility "madness" and resigned as business minister over the issue. - Bob Neill
The Bromley and Chislehurst MP suggested British politicians should focus on finding a Brexit compromise to appease both Remainers and Leavers, leaving him slammed by journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer.
LATEST BREXIT NEWS
Out of office
A number of current ministers who have been loyal to Mrs May's strategy are likely to lose their office if Boris becomes PM.
They have suggested they will join backbench efforts to block a No Deal in a potential blow to BoJo.
These might include:
- Chancellor Philip Hammond
Mr Hammond has signalled he would vote against a No Deal exit in Parliament. He said leaving the EU was the "wrong" policy and could cause a huge "hit" to the public finances. - David Gauke
Mr Gauke has survived a no confidence vote by his local constituency Conservative Association. The Justice Secretary, 47, who has been the MP for South West Hertfordshire since 2005, has been a strong opponent of a no-deal Brexit. He has warned Boris Johnson that Parliament "will find a way" to block No Deal Brexit. - Greg Clark
The Business Secretary has demanded the UK stays tied to the EU customs rules until 2025. He claimed the "Max Fac" plan to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland would only work if its implementation were delayed. years - Rory Stewart
The one-time Tory leadership hopeful recently warned BoJo there'll be a "large public movement against No Deal because the majority of the British public don't want No Deal". - Claire Perry
The Energy Minister told the sustainable business community that she would do everything she could to avoid a No Deal. - Tobias Ellwood
No Deal Tory Ellwood backed Rory Stewart in the race for No10. - Margot James
- The Culture Minister said in January that "we might have to extend Article 50" if facing a No Deal.
- Amber Rudd
The former Home Secretary could even be the group's ringleader - unless Boris handed her a big Cabinet post.
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