Boris Johnson, a Conservative MP and arch-critic, has provoked a backlash from Brexit supporters after suggesting Britain return to the EU’s single market to help alleviate the cost of living crisis.
Tobias Ellwood’s comments were used by the prime minister’s allies as proof that ousting Johnson would threaten the country’s longest-running relationship with Brussels.
In a call for more radical thinking to “energize our economy through these stormy waters,” Ellwood said the government should “better maximize our Brexit fortune.”
Based on his six years of service in the military, Ellwood wrote in an article for the House parliamentary magazine that “if an army general, halfway through battle, is mature enough to perfect his strategy to ensure the success of the mission, the government should do the same. ” , and adds that there is much room for improvement in economic relations with the EU.
He argued that exports to Europe had fallen by £ 20bn, with fishermen and farmers facing special difficulties, and the issue of the Northern Ireland protocol remained unresolved. “All these challenges would disappear if we dared to move forward with our Brexit model by re-entering the EU’s single market (Norway’s model),” he wrote.
His argument, however, was used by Johnson’s allies to suggest that the attempt to force a vote of confidence next week was evidence of a bias against Brexit.
David Frost, the UK’s chief negotiator during the talks on the divorce, said Ellwood’s intervention “shows that Brexit is not really safe in its hands or in its allies”.
A senior MP said Ellwood had “let the cat out of the bag”, adding: “After all the pain we went through in Brexit, he is still determined to try to crawl back into the EU and is ready to sacrifice the prime minister who delivered Brexit to get there. “
Some of those who wanted to oust Johnson hurriedly distanced themselves from Ellwood’s comments, fearing that they would be taken over by the number 10.
Mark Harper, a senior Conservative MP who sent a letter of censure to Johnson, said he strongly disagreed with Ellwood and made it clear that Brexit “meant abandoning the single market and ending freedom of movement. , the end”.
He admitted there were problems with the protocol, but said Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis were working to deal with them.
Another Conservative MP who is believed to have sent a letter of censure anonymously said Brexiters still outnumber the rest in terms of those who have publicly called for a vote of confidence.
Ellwood faced anonymous criticism from those still loyal to Johnson, who have criticized conservative rebels as self-indulgent narcissists.
“I think maybe we should take a break, maybe, and leave it until Tuesday, when we’re all back, because I’m worried about where it’s going down,” Ellwood told Times Radio Thursday morning as the celebrations to mark the jubilee began. of the queen’s platinum.
“The party itself must work together, no matter what happens, wherever the party goes, and it is important that we be civil. But one cannot escape the fact that there are genuine concerns that are not only reflected in party members but also in polls, in local elections, certainly also in by-elections. And these problems need to be addressed.
“It is not only the culture of how number 10 was governed but also the leadership of the party; where we are going to face the enormous challenges that lie ahead ”.