Remainer ex-Tory Oliver Letwin plotting to bring back Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill which he sabotaged only last week
ARCH-Remainer Oliver Letwin is bizarrely plotting to bring back Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill — which he sabotaged only last week.
Sir Oliver wrecked a vote on the PM’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill last Saturday with his “Letwin Amendment”.
But now he and other ex-Tories sacked by Mr Johnson for backing the Brexit-delaying Benn Act have hatched a new plan to worm their way back into favour if the PM’s election bid fails.
It would force the Commons to debate the PM’s bill over the next two months.
BoJo will only bring back the legislation needed to implement Brexit if MPs approve his plan for a December 12 election.
But now Sir Oliver hopes to again seize control of Commons business if the election vote fails to win the two-thirds majority needed.
And he would then bring back the bill himself. It would depend on winning an “SO24” emergency debate in the Commons on Monday — something the Remainer Speaker John Bercow has been willing to grant before.
A Cabinet minister told Sun Columnist James Forsyth: “There’ll be an attempt to use an SO24 to put the WAB before the House.”
Sir Oliver is keen to make up for his ruse that forced Mr Johnson to request a three-month Brexit extension.
He has voted with the Government on all motions since last Saturday’s vote that effectively ditched the October 31 Brexit deadline.
But his plan would need the Government to eventually back his move. He hopes the PM will come onside if he loses the election vote.
A senior Government source last night described Sir Oliver’s plan as “hard but not impossible”. No 10 hopes the plan could encourage more MPs to back the PM’s election bid.
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