When Boris Johnson announced that Tory MPs who rebelled against the government this week to stop a no-deal Brexit would be deselected at the next election, the prime minister was clearly hoping that the raised stakes would deter at least some of his colleagues from rebelling.
This morning though, it seems that the threat has not worked on the most hardline members of the anti-no deal faction in his party, who are not going down without a fight. Former Chancellor and Gaukeward squad ringleader Philip Hammond was on the Today programme this morning, and in his harshest rebuke yet, hit back at the prime minister’s decision, saying he intends to stand as a Conservative at the next election and if Boris Johnson tries to stop him:
‘There will certainly be the fight of a lifetime if they try to… A lot of my colleagues have come under immense pressure, some of them have responded to that pressure by saying: enough, I’m going.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in