Tory Brexiteer John Redwood among three MPs to be knighted in New Year’s Honours list
3 min read
Outspoken Brexiteer and former Cabinet minister John Redwood is among three MPs who will receive a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours list.
The other parliamentarians to be awarded the prestigious gong are Labour’s Alan Campbell and Conservative Gary Streeter.
Mr Redwood served as Secretary of State for Wales under John Major from 1993 to 1995 and has long been on the Eurosceptic wing of the Tory party.
He entered parliament in 1987 as the MP for Wokingham and made two unsuccessful bids to become Conservative party leader in the 1990s.
The veteran MP has been a vehement opponent of Theresa May’s Brexit deal and recently wrote in The House magazine about the advantages of leaving the EU without an agreement.
He said: “The prime minister has offered us a withdrawal agreement, not a deal. It looks likely that the Commons will vote this down. It is costly, one-sided, and offers no guarantees for our future partnership with the EU.
“Why would the EU be more willing to offer preferential trade terms and other benefits once we have agreed to part with a large sum of money and accept its rules and laws for at least another 21 months, when it has previously not been prepared to do so?
“If parliament passes no new Brexit legislation, we will leave the EU on 29 March 2019 with no withdrawal agreement, in accordance with the Article 50 letter we sent and the EU Withdrawal Act.
“This means that, from 30 March next year, the UK will be an independent, self-governing democracy again. We will not owe any money to the EU, so we can spend all the money we save on our own priorities here at home.”
Conservative MP for South West Devon, Gary Streeter, entered Parliament in 1992 and served as Shadow International Development Secretary under William Hague and Shadow Foreign Minister under Michael Howard.
He recently voiced his support for the Prime Minister when she faced a no confidence vote in her leadership earlier this month, tweeting that he would back her to deliver a “sensible Brexit”.
Labour MP for Tynemouth Alan Campbell entered parliament in 1997 and currently serves as Opposition Deputy Chief Whip.
In November Eurosceptic Tory backbencher John Hayes was awarded a knighthood but denied that the honour would influence his stance on the Government's Brexit deal.
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