Michael Gove rules out resigning over Brexit deal – Politics live

Environment secretary stays in cabinet to help prime minister sell deal to the publicFull story: Gove to stayFull list: MPs’ with no confidenceSix possible scenariosCan you get May’s deal through? 1.55pm GMT In the Commons yesterday, when Theresa May was giving her statement on the Brexit deal, many Labour MPs explicitly called for a second referendum on Brexit, or a “people’s vote” as they put it. In his interview on the Today programme this morning John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, was asked if this meant that the party leadership, which is much less enthusiastic about a second referendum, was out of touch with the views of its MPs. McDonnell dismissed this claim, and said the backbenchers were just articulating Labour policy. He told the programme:They were properly reflecting Labour party policy as it stands, because of a conference decision. They were literally voicing what party conference decision took place which was; yes, we want to respect the referendum; if we can’t get a deal that does reflect and at the same time protect jobs and the economy, our priority is for a general election; if we can’t get that, yes a people’s vote remains on the table. They were reflecting that quite properly.We’ve been saying [a second referendum] is on the table for a year-and-a-half. At that time, it seemed very unlikely that there would be a people’s vote, that was the insurance option at the end of a series of unlikely events.It seems to me that it is more likely given the weakness of Theresa May’s position. She leads a government without a majority, it now looks like she leads a cabinet without a majority as well. Given the weakness of her own government, I think it is more likely that we could get there. 1.41pm GMT Having opted to remain in the government, Michael Gove will work with other Brexit-backing cabinet ministers to urge the prime minister to seek to go back to Brussels and renegotiate – in particular over the Irish backstop, Whitehall sources say.The Commons leader, Andrea Leadsom, is expected to convene a meeting early next week with Gove, Liam Fox, Penny Mordaunt and Chris Grayling, and potentially others who share their views. They are then expected to press Theresa May to try to improve the details of the withdrawal agreement that deal with exiting the backstop. Continue reading…
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