JACOB Rees-Mogg has hinted he may have to eat his words and support a Brexit deal he had described as “completely cretinous”.
It came as the Leader of the Commons was making an appeal to Brexiteers to trust Boris Johnson as negotiations on a deal with Brussels enter a critical stage.
Rees-Mogg, who was a thorn in the side of Theresa May over Brexit before joining Johnson’s administration, warned compromise was inevitable if there was to be an agreement.
He even hinted he may even have to support a plan close to May’s rejected agreement – which he described as “completely cretinous” saying it would reduce Britain to a “vassal state”.
Rees-Mogg – who previously led the strongly pro-Brexit European Research Group – insisted however Leave supporters could have confidence Johnson would not give too much ground to Brussels in order to get a deal.
“I think that he is somebody who even the arch Eurosceptics, even a member of the Brexit Party, can trust and have confidence in,” he said.
His comments will be seen as a sign of nervousness that hardline Tory Brexiteers could scupper any agreement Johnson is able to reach.
The Prime Minister was briefing the Cabinet on the progress of
the negotiations – which were continuing over the weekend with UK and EU in Brussels – in a conference call.
It comes after the DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds fired a warning shot to ministers that any return to May’s plan to resolve the issue of the Irish border would not be acceptable to his party.
Reports from Brussels suggested the Prime Minister had sought to revive a proposal by May for Northern Ireland to remain politically in a customs union with the EU, but it would be administered by the UK.
The plan would avoid the need for customs controls on the island of Ireland – something the EU is adamantly opposed to.
However, Dodds – whose party’s votes may be essential if a deal is to get through Parliament – told the Italian La Repubblica newspaper that Northern Ireland “must stay in a full UK customs union, full stop”.
Rees-Mogg refused to be drawn on the detail of what was being discussed in the Belgian capital.
But pressed on whether it could be close to May’s plan, he said: “We’ll have to find out in a day or two whether I’ll have to eat my words or not – time will tell.”
He added: “There’s a line from Churchill saying that he often had to eat his words and he found it to be a very nourishing diet – and that is something that happens in politics.”
Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn signalled Labour is unlikely to back any Brexit deal struck by Boris Johnson, even if there was a confirmatory referendum.
On Saturday, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said that if the Prime Minister returned from Brussels with an agreement Labour would demand it was put to the country in a confirmatory vote.
However, questioned on Sky News, Corbyn said: “I think many in Parliament, not necessarily Labour MPs, others, might be more inclined to support it (if there was a referendum) even if they don’t really agree with the deal. I would caution them on this.”
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