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Tory rebel who sabotaged Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal advised by anti-Brexit lawyer of Gina Miller
THE Tory rebel who ruined Boris Johnson's Brexit plans yesterday has admitted he has been helped by Gina Miller's lawyer ally Lord Pannick.
Remainer ringleader Sir Oliver Letwin, 63, was aided in his plot by the QC who led the charge against the Prime Minister in the Supreme Court.
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He told the BBC today: "I've colluded with MPs from other parties.
"I've colluded with the Lords."
When asked specifically about Lord Pannick he replied: "Yes, we've had some of the best lawyers in the land who are in the House of Lords working for us... and I'm extremely grateful to them."
Several ex-Tories backed the amendment yesterday which forced Boris into asking the EU for another extension to Brexit.
It withheld approval of the deal until after all the other Brexit laws have been signed off, wrecking the Government's hopes of finally getting a deal done.
Ex-Tory Sir Oliver claimed it was an "insurance policy" to make sure Britain didn't fall out of the EU without a deal if the legislation did not pass in time.
It comes after his plot last month allowed MPs to take control of the Commons and vote through the Benn Act - which took No Deal off the table.
In 2016 Lord Pannick represented anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller when she challenged the Government in court to demand MPs get a chance to vote on whether to trigger Article 50 or not.
And he represented her again last month when she successfully challenged the PM's decision to suspend Parliament for an extended period of time.
The PM was humiliated and had to force MPs back to Parliament.
A senior Tory told the paper: "This isn't Letwin's amendment, it's Pannick's amendment.
"Pannick is the organ grinder, Letwin's just the useful idiot."
Yesterday No10 put huge pressure on him to drop his amendment, but he refused to do so.
One witness told The Sunday Times: "He walked through No 10 giggling like an eight-year-old and had to keep calling Pannick on his mobile to find out what he was allowed to do."
Lord Pannick confirmed to newspapers that he had been in contact with Sir Oliver over the drafting of the amendment, but furiously denied it was his amendment and was calling the shots.
He said: "I had no telephone conversation with Sir Oliver Letwin yesterday.
"Nor would it be a basis of any criticism of him if I had.”
But the Government could end up court again this week over Boris' letter last night, as some argue he hasn't complied with the law.
The PM sent three Brexit letters to the EU - one as the law told him to, and another two saying he did not believe it was the right thing to do.
A court in Scotland is set to meet tomorrow to discuss whether the PM has obeyed the law.
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Who is Sir Oliver Letwin?
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.
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.
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.
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.
And 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.
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After the vote passed yesterday furious MPs voiced their frustration with it.
Liz Truss tweeted: "Extremely frustrating meaningful vote has been prevented. The country wants us to support this deal and move on to the future. We will not give up!"
Tory MP Owen Paterson added: "Passing the Letwin Amendment and declining even to come to a verdict on the new Brexit deal just about sums up this rotten Parliament."
Super Saturday recap: we look back at the events in parliament as the PM's deal suffers massive blow
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