DAVID Mundell has insisted that his embattled party leader Theresa May can heal deep Tory wounds on Brexit and unite the Conservatives around her controversial Chequers Plan.
Ahead of the Tory faithful gathering in Birmingham this weekend for what one party source predicted would be a “Brexit bloodbath,” the Scottish Secretary appeared confident that the Prime Minister would win round her critics.
Asked, given all the in-fighting, if the Tory Party was healable on Brexit, Mr Mundell first said that it was well-known how people across Conservative ranks had different views on the EU but then went on to say: “We can get to a position where we can reach a deal with the EU on the basis of Chequers.”
Asked again if Mrs May could heal her divided party on Brexit, the Secretary of State replied: “We can unite the Conservatives around looking to the future once we have left the EU and building that global Britain, building a new economic model here in the UK.
“Once we are out of the EU, people will be able to focus on the future and, therefore, that’s why the priority is – let’s get out on a basis that allows that to happen,” he added.
Brexit is set to dominate the conference with a raft of fringe events debating various aspects with the key one being on Tuesday lunchtime when Boris Johnson will make, what is thought will be, his one and only significant contribution to the annual event. Dubbed the “Chuck Chequers” rally, it will be a Question and Answer session organised by ConservativeHome.com.
As Theresa May arrived at conference, wearing a dress in traditional Tory blue, she ignored reporters’ questions about the threat posed by the former Foreign Secretary, who on Friday during a BBC interview conspicuously failed to rule out challenging the Prime Minister over her leadership.
While Mrs May does not want the party's Brexit woes to overshadow her domestic agenda, it is hard to see how the issue dividing the party deeply will not dominate proceedings.
Remainer Nicky Morgan, the former UK Education Secretary, told the PoliticsHome website that Mr Johnson's alternative plan, dubbed "Super Canada", was "pie in the sky", while David Gauke, the Justice Secretary, warned it could break up the UK if adopted.
Tory backbencher Heidi Allen hit out at the party's Eurosceptics, saying they have tied the PM's hands over Brexit and left her Chequers Plan "dead".
The Cambridgeshire South MP said she would back a second referendum on leaving the EU because the Brexiteers had "behaved unacceptably" in trashing the Chequers Plan.
Former minister and leading Remainer Anna Soubry also backed the People's Vote campaign for another referendum, saying the Chequers Plan was dead due to "hard Brexit" Tories, and Mrs May’s only alternative plan was the "disaster" of leaving without a deal.
But Mr Johnson's proposals were defended by fellow hardline Brexiteers including Jacob Rees-Mogg, who likened the PM's Chequers blueprint to the Charge of the Light Brigade, saying it was "a brave and mistaken dash against all the odds".
Meanwhile, activists and journalists heading to the conference discovered a major security embarrassment for the party leadership in relation to the official app, which many delegates use to keep track of events.
The profiles of Mr Johnson and other senior Conservatives, including Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, were among those reportedly accessed.
A party spokesman sought to play down the glitch, saying the "technical issue" had been resolved but "we are investigating the issue further and apologise for any concern caused".
The Information Commissioner's Office said it would be “making inquiries” with the Conservative Party, noting how organisations had a “legal duty to keep personal data safe and secure".
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