Westministenders: The One Where We Finally Get A Leadership Challenge?

[RedToothBrush]

Tick tick tick.

What do we think?

Yes? No?

Another week of wtf-ing at British politics.

Matt Dathan @ matt_dathan
Excl: Total of 42 Tory MPs have given firm assurances that they've submitted letters of no confidence in Theresa May - so 6 more to go:

www.thesun.co.uk/news/brexit/7772178/brexiteers-6-mps-no-confidence-vote/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
Brexiteers scrambling to find 6 more MPs to trigger no-confidence vote in Theresa May
A ballot for all 315 Tory MPs could be held tomorrow if the number of letters reaches 48

Hence why they are arguing over 47 / 48...

Senior MPs described today as “judgement day” and conceded that if they don’t breach the 48 target today, it’s unlikely they will until after the Commons’ meaningful vote on the PM’s Brexit deal next month.

And

Ringleader Steve Baker blasted colleagues who had promised to send in a letter but had failed to do so.

He told The Sun: “If everyone does what they’ve told me, the line will be crossed by a big margin on Monday evening.

“However, it has become very very clear that not everyone does what they’ve said they’re going to do.

“Conservative Members of Parliament who have decided that the only way to change the policy is to change the leader must have the courage and integrity to write the letter themselves.

“Simply telling me they’re going to obviously isn’t good enough.”

In a further blow to their hopes of toppling the PM loyal Tory associations were believed to be dampening the revolt, with another Brexiteer revealing that “people are getting cold feet” after talking to their members over the weekend.

So who is going to withdraw their letter then?

Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn
Excl: Brexiteers still at least 6 MPs short of triggering confidence vote in PM - 48 needed, but only 42 assurances given to ERG (25 publicly, 17 in private). And that’s only if all telling the truth...

Beth Rigby@bethrigby
Told by senior Brexiteer tonight that on their count, the tally is up to 46... will they get to the magic 48 tomorrow?

haha, now BBS isn't flogging Farage's threats of "wanting to go back to politics", I "wonder" what changed

*BBC

Tom Harwood @ tomhfh
ERG sources remain confident that 48 will be reached on Monday.
They have been saying consistently since Friday morning that many MPs who had indicated they would send in letters wanted to take stock in their constituencies over the weekend.

One sticking point is some want to save their letters for 30th March.

However others are convinced that if confidence vote fails there are informal ways to dislodge PMTM after the UK has formally left the EU and consequently are less worried about the one year letter preclusion.

The ERG

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6401901/Dominic-Raab-says-Theresa-failed-stand-EU-bullies.html
Is Raab the stop Boris candidate? Ex Brexit Secretary says Johnson 'is not an ally' as Bill Cash becomes the latest Tory MP join the lemming letter club

'The Lemming Letter Club'!

Told by senior Brexiteer tonight that on their count, the tally is up to 46... will they get to the magic 48 tomorrow?

Anyone else fuming at all this Tory dicking about whilst the Brexit bus is hurtling towards the cliff edge? Just fucking get on with governing the country you idiots!

Apologies if this article by Jane Meyer has been posted over the weekend already.. It really is worth a read.

“The possibility that both Brexit and the Trump campaign simultaneously relied upon the same social-media company and its transgressive tactics, as well as some of the same advisers, to further far-right nationalist campaigns, set off alarm bells on both sides of the Atlantic....new e-mails suggest that the role of Bannon and Mercer is far deeper and more complex than we realised. There’s a big question about whether Mercer’s money was used in the Brexit campaign and it absolutely underscores why Britain needs a proper Mueller-style investigation. There are direct links between the political movements behind Brexit and Trump. We’ve got to recognise the bigger picture here. This is being coordinated across national borders by very wealthy people in a way we haven’t seen before."

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/new-evidence-emerges-of-steve-bannon-and-cambridge-analyticas-role-in-brexit

Thanks RTB!

Very significant pushback against the DUP from the Ulster Farmers Union and from Senator Ian Marshall (from the end of the last thread) .

Marshall is from Armagh, NI, from a Unionist background. He campaigned against Brexit, and was elected to the Irish Seanad ('Senate' - upper house of Parliament). He is a past president of the UFU.

He was approached by Leo Varadkar about standing for election to the Agricultural Panel of the Seanad, and was supported by Sinn Fein in his bid.

Seanad elections are run thusly:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seanad_%C3%89ireann

The shadowy hand of Robert Mercer again illuminated briefly. It's not news that he played a huge part in events of 2016 on both sides of the Atlantic.

Hopefully the Mueller investigation is actively examining the role of Mercer & Daughter in both the Trump campaign and Brexit. I don't think they could investigate one without touching on the other.

(And I also think the money for Leave came from the US).

Hmm, I'm with you there Boaty it's a distraction I think.

Anyone else fuming at all this Tory dicking about whilst the Brexit bus is hurtling towards the cliff edge?

Yes!

Ok Leave Hive Mind, what should the withdrawal agreement look like NOT ANY FUTURE TRADE AGREEMENT- the withdrawal agreement. The actual withdrawal agreement. Without which we can't easily do trade agreements.

Just pathetic. But that's Corbyn for you.

If Corbyn has a plan to make a Corbyn-hating-Tory-hating-Labour voter like me support him , now would be the time to reveal it .... tumbleweed.

So to summarise then. We have

And lots of Leavers still complaining about the EU being “mean” to us

I'd vote for Yvette

She would be amazing. But in all honesty I’ve vote for anyone if they said they would stop Brexit.

Over the past 72 hours three Brexiter Tory MPs have speculated to me that the party might well split if there’s a confidence vote and May wins.

Tbh that would be best for the Conservative party and the country.
The ideals of the ERG/brexiters/far right and the ones of the Conservative party are too different and cannot be reconciled into one party. Both of them would be better on their own.
Of course, the ERG doesn’t want that because they are only too aware that they are only a small minority and would loose any power they have atm by standing up alone....
On th other side, it would allow the Conservative party to stop dealing with all the squabbles and start doing some work to avoid wrecking the country.
It’s time we start looking at all the other problems that aren’t Brexit related.
Today in the news was the Police reminding us thatbthe threat of terrorism is still high and is asking everyine it keep an eye during the festive season. Maybe it’s time to also review budget and how the size of the Police force.
We have all the stuff going on with Universities and the government wanting to make degrees in two years rather than three.
The NHS and a psychiatrist who have been working for 22 years wo a diploma. People not daring to go and see a GP or A&E for really serious matters (see a few recents threads in here).
The list goes on and on.....