This secretive Tory group is stepping up its campaign for a slash-and-burn Brexit
Where are the Tory mutineers when we need them?
More than 60 hard-right Conservative MPs have written to the Prime Minister demanding a slash-and-burn Brexit, according to The Times.
The secretive group behind it? The European Research Group.
They are led by the Honourable Member for the 18th century, Jacob Rees-Mogg.
ERG has been alleged to use public funds (through ‘subscriptions’ from MPs’ expenses) to carry out research backing hard-Brexit causes. Yet it has no website or social media presence. We have no minutes of its meetings.
In fact, we have very little idea of what they do – except constantly pressure the PM to pursue a reckless Brexit policy that pulls us out of the Single Market and Customs Union. That call, by the way, includes the ‘interim period’ before we have any deal whatsoever. The word ‘reckless’ does not begin to cover it.
The letter apparently states:
The government “must have the ability to change British laws and rules once we leave, rather than being a ‘rule taker’ without any substantive say in whatever Brussels decides”.
As The Times note: “This would make it infeasible for the UK to stay in or be part of a host of industry bodies such as Reach, the chemicals agency, the European food safety authority, European Medicines Agency, and European Aviation Safety.”
Essentially – it would make life a lot more difficult and expensive for whole swathes of British industry – from our science sector to pharmaceuticals. Without a common set of standards, we risk losing the entire European market for a huge number of British goods. And yes, Europe is of course our largest trading partner.
Rees-Mogg has commented, saying: “The letter is designed to be supportive of the PM.”
Supportive in the sense of: a bunch of zombies hammering at your door offering their ‘endorsement’.
Now, few Conservative MPs are speaking out against this rabid-right lobby group – with some speaking out only off the record.
Yet most current Conservative MPs backed Remain during the EU referendum. According to the FT’s analysis, 176 of the 317 Conservative MPs backed Remain.
Surely they do not want to see a slash-and-burn Brexit that tears up our economy?
So – now the challenge. Will the so-called soft-Brexit ‘mutineers’ (as the Telegraph dubbed them) finally stand up to the shady ERG bunch? Rees-Mogg is not the Conservative party.
It’s not the Freemasons who are the clandestine threat within our Parliament – it’s Rees-Mogg’s Brextremists.
There are sensible voices out there – some of whom have already spoken out: figures like Nicky Morgan, Justine Greening, Heidi Allen and Dr Sarah Woollaston.
The Tory hard-right are organised. Perhaps it’s time for some voices of reason to get organised, too?
Josiah Mortimer is Editor of Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter.
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