UK PM May’s ministers moving to oust her: Report
Amid Brexit confusion, UK papers say PM facing possible plot to topple her
LONDON: Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) was in disarray yesterday as Prime Minister Theresa May faced a possible plot by ministers to topple her and Parliament prepared to grab control of Brexit from the government.
At one of the most important junctures for the country since World War II, British politics is at fever pitch and, nearly three years since the 2016 referendum, it is still unclear how, when or if Brexit will ever take place.
With Mrs May humiliated and weakened, ministers insisted she and the British government were still in charge of the country, and that the best option was still for Parliament to ratify Mrs May's twice-defeated Brexit divorce deal.
As hundreds of thousands of people marched across central London on Saturday to demand another Brexit referendum, Mrs May was the subject of what The Sunday Times said was a "coup" by senior ministers seeking to oust her. The newspaper cited 11 unidentified senior ministers and said they had agreed that the Prime Minister should stand down, warning that she has become a toxic and erratic figure whose judgment has "gone haywire".
When asked by Sky about reports in The Sunday Times and other newspapers of a plot and whether she had run out of road, Finance Minister Philip Hammond said: "No. I don't think that is the case at all."
"Changing prime minister wouldn't help us," Mr Hammond said. "To be talking about changing the players on the board, frankly, is self-indulgent at this time."
Mr Hammond said the best way forward would be for Parliament to back Mrs May's deal, although he said that it might not be approved and so Parliament should then try to find a way to end the impasse.
"I am realistic that we may not be able to get a majority for the Prime Minister's (Brexit) deal and if that is the case, then Parliament will have to decide not just what it is against but what it is for," he said.
Brexit was due on March 29 before Mrs May secured a delay in talks with the EU. Now a May 22 departure date will apply if Parliament rallies behind her and she is able to pass her deal. If she fails to do so, Britain will have until April 12 to offer a new plan or decide to leave the EU without a treaty.
Some lawmakers have asked Mrs May to name her departure date as the price for supporting her deal, though it was unclear when a third vote might take place.
If Mrs May's deal is dead, then Parliament will try to find a different option. That opens up several options including a much softer divorce than Mrs May had intended, a referendum, a revocation of the Article 50 divorce papers or even an election.
The Sunday Times reported that Mrs May's de-facto deputy David Lidington was one contender to be interim prime minister but others are pushing for Environment Secretary Michael Gove or Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
"I don't think that I have any wish to take over from the PM, I think (she) is doing a fantastic job," Mr Lidington told reporters outside his house. - REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
