Westministenders: Well this is getting interesting!

[RedToothBrush]

The Minister responsible for writing a deal with the EU has succeeded in coming to an agreement. And has subsequently resigned because he can not agree with it. This man previously didn't know where Dover was, and why this was important. This man is a solicitor used to writing and reading complicated documents.

And we are supposed to believe he has done the honourable thing and has quit on a matter of principle. And has in no way, been a Carpetbagger all along and has deliberately intended to scupper a deal.

Mundell is not wrong about his former Cabinet College but its not terribly polite.

Esther has fucked off too. She was cut out the loop over the UC slow down and was precorded as civil servants thought she'd go crackers if she gave a live interview. This seems consistent with reports that she threw a tantrum in the Cabinet meeting, demanding a vote, before Sir Humphrey told her to refer to the Cabinet Handbook that states that votes are not allowed.

Rees-Smugg seems to have triggered a split in the ERG and has submitted a letter to Graham. Graham has been to see Julian, to tell him that he's not had enough fan mail - yet. Other ERG seem more content to just attempt to vote the deal down. Will there be a confidence vote? If there is, will May win? If she does she gets a special prize of 12 months immunity albeit with the booby prize of still having to get a deal through Parliament.

May now seems to be running a minority government as there are suggestions that the confidence and supply deal with the DUP is over. Kate Hoey appear to have joined the DUP. Perhaps she should have resigned from the Labour party first.

Gove was offered the poison chalice of the Brexit Secretary post. Initial reports said he baulked at the responsibility. Will he resign? Is he just going to go for the top job now? There is now suggestion, he hasn't rejected it afterall. Maybe she should just abolish the department and reallocate resources to the Cabinet office (like she's already done anyway).

Mordaunt is meeting the PM this afternoon to be told personally that there isn't a cat in hell's chance that May will have a free vote over Brexit. Just so she can get the PR for her leadership bid. Resignation scheduled for this afternoon.

Hunt and Javid just sat on the front bench after making noises to please leavers and set themselves up for their leadership bid.

Johnson is lurking. No statement today. Got some ringing around to get supporters for his leadership bid? Will he be the stalking horse?

Loathsome and Fox, admit their political careers have reached their zenith, and they got a cat in hell's chance of getting another Cabinet post. They are not resigning. Today at least.

Greyling is currently silent. There is speculation that his resignation is running late. Twitter is having a field day with jokes.

Duncan has said that an ERG candidate won't be able to form a government - implying that Tories would resign the whip if they did.

Stewart, has done his honourable best to support May through thick and thin, with his best Comical Ali impression and spouting any old bollocks on the radio. Bless Little Rory.

Neill retweets him. Soames doesn't sounds unlike them both. Morgan wouldn't mind a Cabinet job again. Soubry doesn't really care who is in charge as long anymore so long as its not the ERG.

Hancock said in Cabinet that he couldn't guarentee no deaths in a no deal situation. Leavers do not have an alternative idea to May's deal but No Deal. They don't mind risking Hancock being unable to protect people from death.

There are 10 days to go until the EU Summit. We have no idea if we will have a clear PM. Two days later we find out if unilateral revokation is an option to save our necks from disaster if we get that far.

If there is a no confidence vote, its penciled in for Tuesday.

The only Brexit certainity you can be sure of is this thread won't make it til then.

At the very least, the party responsible should be torn to shreds and kept out of power for a generation, so they can never screw us up like this again

In that case, so far so good. May is still steering the good ship Tory towards the rocks. That's one of the realisations that's dawned ... whatever they do they're fucked.

Yep that.

I am well aware of the political dynamic of a few people making themselves look more powerful by making most noise and through intimidation, but its hard until you get to the other side of it.

The roller-coaster to get there is miserable.

Anyone remember Cameron's tweet in 2015:

choose me for stability instead of chaos with Ed Miliband !!

Yes, I thought Xenia's sudden attack of the vapours was a bit odd, as well. It's like she's never seen the House of Commons in action, or read a book of old Punch cartoons.

Anyway - that Sky News Poll is very interesting. As has been the Expresses sudden editorial swing to supporting May's deal. We are indeed in interesting times. No wonder poor old Wholly has turned up to blast his script at us again.

I know one of the political writers at the Express. Lovely bloke, as it happens. They're watching Mordaunt closely. But not because they admire her.

The EU will also be friendly and pushing the deal now too.

It marginalises the hard line Tories further.

I expect Farage to be noisy and there to be talk of a new hard right party. But it's questionable if that will come of much. They are good at hot air not doing something practical. They are not implimentors

The far right you need to be careful of is Tommy Robinson attempting to take over Ukip.

Laura Hughes @laurakHughes
Member of the ERG who has submitted a letter of no confidence says "numbers have certainly gone up but reckon they are still in 30s"

As of 5 minus ago.

There were 35 at the ERG meeting.

{*A straight banana, obviously.}
The origin of that debacle was the EU taking exception to the farm labourers growing the bananas being sprayed with chemicals (which caused a range of illnesses and even death) while they worked in the plantations by 'management' who couldn't care less about workers safety. Apparently the WTO weren't particularly bothered about that aspect and won a legal battle with the EU, but it was eventually overturned. The curvature of bananas was part of the classification of the fruit.
There is a moral in this story.

If they're struggling to get the letters in they're not going to win a vote.

I think JRM has been waiting for this and was always planning to launch this when the agreement came through. All he has to do is frustrate and hold things up for long enough and we no deal. Any amount of confusion and uncertainty helps this.

I’m here. Vince Cable is speaking

F

The sky poll puts support for Brexit in the minority.

Wooooh! Go PCPlums

Hello, PCplums Looks a cold miserable night to be out

Did I just read on the last page that JC wanted a sensible brexit

And he has still not said if he's voting down the deal or not?

{Sorry those who previously wanted to leave and now to remain want to crash}
As I have said a few times, I was for remain but seeing how divided and delusional much of the UK is it would be very damaging for the UK to remain in the EU UNLESS it drops the jingoistic 'we are better than you' stance. The UK has spent 40 odd years 'not quite in' with politicians and particularly the tabloid press deliberately damaging relations between the UK and the rest of the EU. Would you want a house guest who keeps crapping in the corner of the bedrooms?
For this reason the UK MUST leave. After a few months, either Mr Fox will bounce in with a pile of brilliant trade deals, or more likely, he won't. In which case an attempt might be made to rejoin.
Whatever happens, the UK is going downhill, with the only choice of whether it is going fast or slow. This will of course cause massive resentment by either leave or remain or most likely both, but for different reasons.

I have no attack of the vapours I just thought we weren't allowed to say we want to kill people. If we are then I could say on here I would like to use a steamroller to kill everyone on this thread who does not support the Tory party? Would people like me to stay that? Are you happy with death threats?

Hazard I thought a Labour spokesperson said they were voting it down
although with Labour you can always bet on a rebel contingent

I think keir said it.

So jezzas probably doing the opposite...

Smiley - if it's any consolation, I had to re-read BigChoc's post twice to realise that that it was Remain that was in the majority in that Sky poll.

I think it was because it was described as "No Brexit" rather than Remain

There is also the matter of the interference and lies. While the likes of the ERG stand to make tens or even hundreds of millions by 'crashing out' most mention of the 'Russian money' have gone quiet for the last few days. The 'bad boys' won't have gone away so what is their next move? Whilst it is in 'conspiracy theory' territory, these IS evidence of unfair play so it is not yet 'job done'.

Xenia, I don't agree with you on lots, but I actually welcome some conservative voices on here.

I agree with you on the violence. Though I understand the frustration people are feeling. Its just the wrong was to express it.