RISHI Sunak has been privately warned the Tories face electoral oblivion if he is accused of Brexit betrayal – amid claims his government even risks collapse.
Downing Street is battling a growing backlash from Tory MPs and former ministers who say the Prime Minister’s proposed Brexit fix does not go far enough in ridding Northern Ireland of meddling EU judges.
Rishi Sunak has been privately warned the Tories face electoral oblivion if he is accused of Brexit betrayal
Mr Sunak has been meeting “dozens” of MPs since Monday afternoon as he tries to sell the outlines of his Brussels deal to unionists and Brexiteer Tories.
The DUP and hard-line Conservatives Eurosceptic in the ERG will meet TONIGHT to plot tactics amid a hardening mood toward any compromise.
There are fears amongst those MPs the PM has met, that his deal will allow the the Tories to be outflanked by the likes of Nigel Farage or the right-wing Reform Party for “selling out Brexit”.
One senior Tory MP told Trending In The News: “If the betrayal narrative takes hold then its curtains for the party, and frankly the balloon could go up a lot sooner than an election.”
Amongst MPs who have met the PM in recent hours, there is a growing scepticism the proposed deal will fall short as it does not fundamentally rewrite the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol that governs how goods enter and leave the province.
One attendee said “its all too vague but what we’ve been told so far falls far short of what would be needed. It will sit alongside the Protocol but not fundamentally change the text.”
Another said protections against EU rules being thrust upon Northern Irish firms that trade with the EU Single Market without any democratic consent are very “wishy washy” so far.
And one ex-Minister described the PM as “snappy and irritable” during talks – suggesting that Mr Sunak does not realise how much trouble he is in, warning “the balloon will go up if this goes wrong”.
But Downing Street sources rejected this claim insisting the PM is happy to engage with all colleagues.
Meanwhile another ex-Minister said “it appears that the negotiations with Brussels are over and he is already selling what he has achieved.
“As far as we can see the only talks left with the EU is James Cleverly trying to convince them they can get this deal to work.”
But Mr Sunak insists haggling on terms with Brussels is still ongoing.
He told Cabinet on Tuesday morning that “intensive negotiations with the EU continue on resolving the issues caused by the way the Protocol was being enforced”.
His spokesman added that the PM is “seeking to address three main areas – safeguarding Northern Ireland’s place within the union, protecting the Belfast agreement in all its dimensions and ensuring the free flow of trade within the UK internal market.”
