Theresa May’s allies ‘plot to keep her in Number 10 until 2021’
2 min read
Senior allies to Theresa May are reportedly plotting to keep her in place for another two years amid a rumoured surge in support for her Brexit deal.
According to the Times, those close to the Prime Minister now believe she can get her agreement through the Commons, enabling her to stay in Number 10 for a further two years.
Mrs May has faced a turbulent few weeks, with opposition to her Brexit deal forcing the Government to delay the decisive meaningful vote until January in a last-ditch bid to avoid almost certain defeat.
The Prime Minster also fought a leadership challenge from within her own party, winning by 200 to 117 votes.
But her political allies now reportedly believe that the crunch Commons vote on Brexit, which will be decisive in determining Mrs May’s political future, can be won.
A senior government source said: “It’s now very much our expectation that we can win this vote, if not the first time then the second time around.”
In the aftermath, Mrs May’s supporters would back her to stay on until autumn 2021 before handing over the Tory leadership, giving her successor nine months to prepare for a general election in May 2022.
A senior Cabinet minister said the plan was being discussed among senior party figures, possibly including the Prime Minister.
Those close to Number Ten credit the shift in Brexit deal support to last minute talks between the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator Ollie Robbins and EU officials in an effort to win a substantial concession on the controversial Northern Irish ‘backstop’.
The arrangement angered Tory and DUP MPs who believed it threatened the integrity of the United Kingdom by proposing different trade rules in Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, the newspaper also reports that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was overheard boasting of his own plans to succeed Theresa May in a Mayfair hotel.
A source close to the Cabinet minister later denied the allegations, however, branding the account “mischief-making tittle-tattle”.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
