Tory MPs threaten to topple Boris Johnson within six weeks of him becoming PM – to stop him going for No Deal
TORY Remainers could bring down Boris Johnson within six weeks of him becoming PM, they warned today.
As many as a dozen MPs are threatening to trigger a snap election rather than accept Britain leaving the EU without a deal in October.
Worried Brexiteers are now calling on Boris to explain how he would dodge the challenge from rebel MPs.
And leadership rival Jeremy Hunt has taunted the frontrunner claiming he won’t be able to deliver on his Brexit plan.
Mr Johnson has promised to reopen talks with the EU to get a better deal in time for the October 31 deadline.
But he will also keep No Deal on the table, insisting that’s the only way to ensure Britain gets a good deal from Brussels.
Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood said a dozen colleagues would do whatever it takes to block a No Deal Brexit.
Asked if Tory MPs would rather topple the Government than accept No Deal, he told the BBC: “I believe that absolutely is the case.
“I think a dozen or so members of Parliament would be on our side, would be voting against supporting a No Deal and that would include ministers as well as backbenchers.”
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The party’s Commons majority is just four, including the DUP, meaning only a handful of MPs are needed to overturn it.
The new PM will take office on July 24, one day before the Commons breaks up for the summer holiday – then return six weeks later in early September, the key danger time for a no-confidence vote.
Brexit-backing MP Michael Fabricant, who supports Boris in the leadership election, called on the runaway favourite to explain the details of his Brexit plan.
He tweeted, “It seems a fair point to ask: How will a Government with a working majority of 3 possibly deliver a No Deal #Brexit (as much as I would be content with that) if #Labour trigger a Vote of No Confidence on the back of it and 12 #Conservative #Remainer MPs deliberately abstain???”
Mr Hunt today insisted that Mr Johnson’s plans will fall apart because he can’t unite his wide range of supporters.
He told ITV: “He is going to come to power on a very fragile coalition of people like Matt Hancock, who wants No Deal taken off the table, Mark Francois, who wants No Deal.
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“Sometimes in politics you can fudge and get away with it but in the case of Brexit you are going to have to make decisions immediately and that very fragile coalition will collapse immediately when you have to make those decisions.
“If that happens we won’t have another leadership contest, we will have Jeremy Corbyn in No10 and there won’t be any Brexit at all.”
Boris is under mounting pressure to lay out how he could deliver No Deal in the teeth of Remainer opposition.
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