Sir Oliver Letwin: The Tory once tricked by burglars who has sunk our best chance of Brexit today
BITTER Remainer Sir Oliver Letwin torpedoed Boris Johnson's bombshell new deal today with a Brexit-delaying amendment in the Commons.
The Tory toff - so hapless that he once let burglars into his own home - wrecked the PM's triumphant proposal that "gives back control" to Britain.
BREXIT BLOCKER
Instead of backing Boris, MPs threw their support behind hapless Sir Oliver - a politician who caused riots on the streets when he gave Britain the Poll Tax - and let the bill "sail through the Commons".
The amendment means Mr Johnson is forced to ask the EU for a three-month extension.
The Eton-educated MP has long been a thorn in the side of No10 - using Parliamentary tricks to consistently delay the will of the people.
He helped push through a motion in September which allowed Remainer MPs to take control of the Commons and pass the Brexit-blocking Benn Act.
But Sir Oliver first burst on to the Westminster scene as a member of Margaret Thatcher’s policy unit in the 1980s.
It was during his tenure with Mrs Thatcher that he devised one of the most unpopular policies of the decade - the Poll Tax.
The local-tax policy saw angry crowds take to the streets of London and eventually toppled Mrs Thatcher’s administration.
TRICKED BY BURGLARS
As well as his career gaffes, Sir Oliver is also known for another particularly embarrassing incident in his personal life.
He let two men burgle his home in Kennington, South London, in 2002.
In the early hours he was confronted by strangers who asked if they could use his toilet.
Sir Oliver let them in and they quickly searched his house for valuables before running away with a stash of jewellery and the MP’s wallet.
After that embarrassing mishap, the West Dorset MP worked his way up the ranks to become Shadow Chancellor in 2003.
Sir Oliver's career was on the up in the 2000s - but sadly the same could not be said for William Hague after a blunder left his 2001 election campaign in tatters.
Letwin, then a treasury minister, wrecked Hague's chances of No10 by revealing the party’s spending intentions.
CAM'S FIXER
A trusted David Cameron ally, he later became the-then Prime Minister's “fixer” – after playing a key role in drawing-up the Tories’ 2010 election manifesto.
But despite embedding himself as an important member of Mr Cameron's team - another blunder was not far away.
In 2011, Sir Oliver — by then the PM's chief policy adviser — was photographed dumping top-secret files on terrorism and national security in park bins near Downing Street.
Theresa May was not quite as confident in Letwin as her predecessor and swiftly kicked him off the front bench when she became PM in 2016.
INSURANCE POLICY
Speaking today, Sir Oliver called his amendment an “insurance policy” to stop us “crashing out” of the bloc automatically if there is no deal by October 31.
However, he did support Boris’ deal - adding: “When he brings it next week - I will vote for it. But we all know the votes on that legislation will be tight.
“The PM has a strategy, I fully accept that. It's that he wants to say to any waverers it’s my deal or no deal, vote for the implementing legislation or we crash out. I understand that strategy but we can't be sure such a threat from the PM will work.
“I won't - if you will forgive me - take any interventions.
“We can't be sure that such a threat from the PM will work.
"And I, despite my support for his deal, I do not believe it's responsible to put the nation at risk by making that threat.”
LETWIN AMENDMENT
- Sir Oliver Letwin will force Boris Johnson to ask the EU for a three-month Brexit delay by 11pm.
- It would withhold approval of the PM’s deal until Parliament has passed the necessary law to enact the agreement.
- But crucially that would trigger the Benn Act, which requires the PM to write a letter to the EU seeking a extension.
- Jeremy Corbyn threw Labour's support behind the amendment, making it much more likely to pass. And it is backed by all other opposition parties.
- The Benn Act is only made redundant if the PM wins today's so-called Meaningful Vote without any amendments.
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