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| Monday July 9 2018 |
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By Matt Chorley
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Good morning,
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Rule number one of writing a popular morning email: don't write loads the night before about how cabinet ministers have been sending you turd emojis because someone will resign while you're asleep and you'll have to delete it all and start again.
You're welcome.
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Must reads
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- A woman has died in hospital more than a week after she was exposed to novichok in the first death from the nerve agent attack on Britain that the government has attributed to Russia.
- Eight Thai boys and their football coach remained in the flooded caves where they have been trapped for more than two weeks last night after rescue divers ran out of oxygen.
- When Mohamed Abdel-Khalek built a pond behind his grade II listed home, he may have expected it to bring a sense of tranquillity. Instead the garden feature led to a three-year legal dispute with his neighbour and a rebuke from the judge for wasting £25,000 of public money.
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‘Odd one out’: David Davis quits
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That's it then. The curtain has finally come down. The surrealist performance art installation "David Davis" has ended his role Brexit secretary and exited stage left.
At just before midnight news broke that he was off. After just over two years of grappling with Brexistential questions like "if you do no negotiating, are you the negotiator?" he packed up his box of props, ripped off his full-length body stocking and quit the cabinet.
For a man who has at times seemed to revel in farce, this is drama of the highest order which some are already speculating could bring Theresa May's premiership to a tragic end. Steve Baker and Suella Braverman, his ministerial understudies at the Department for Brexit, also walked away from the limelight and resigned. That brings the total for ministerial resignations to ten in exactly eight months.
Part of the harmless appeal of "David Davis" performances has always been his threat to resign on a fortnightly basis, while no one (including the PM) actually expected him to follow through.
Exactly 48 hours after the Chequers cabinet meeting which signed off Theresa May's Brexit plan which she would then put to the Tory party and Brussels, Davis fired off his resignation letter.
He warned that May's plan for a “common rule book” between Britain and Brussels "hands control of large swathes of our economy to the EU" and broke the promise of taking back control.
"Of course this is a complex area of judgement and it is possible that you are right and I am wrong," he added before saying the Brexit secretary needed to be "an enthusiastic believer" in the prime minister's approach, and "not merely a reluctant conscript". Ouch.
In all it amounted to 364 words. May's reply was more than twice the length, including a 12-point list of how she claims to have delivered on what "David Davis" had wanted, explaining why he was wrong, and thanks him for his service.
On the Today programme he went further, making clear he had told May he could not back her even before Chequers, but admitting he "lost the argument" in the cabinet. He said he told her "prime minister, as you know, I am going to be the odd one out on this".
But he refused to be the face of a plan he could not support. “I would be front and centre in delivering this,” he said, adding that he would have to persuade Conservative MPs to support it, before making the case in Brussels.
Asked "can Theresa May survives this?", he replied: "Oh yes. Of course. I like Theresa May, I think she is a good prime minister. If I wanted to bring down Theresa May, now is not the time. That would have been after the election." He ruled out standing for leader himself.
When The Times's Sam Coates asked a Downing Street aide mid-evening whether "David Davis" was about to go, the special adviser replied, laughing, that he was “just going for a drink with Robbie Gibb”, director of communications and an old friend, and that it was safe to go home.
In fact, after spending the day at Silverstone, "David Davis" was in Downing Street to actually do what he had threatened for months. (Though he had to speak to May on the phone as she was at home in her constituency.)
Cabinet colleagues had predicted Davis would walk at some point but raised a quizzical eyebrow at the timing after Chequers. "He was grumpy in the afternoon session, but merrily giving presentations in the evening."
His imminent tour of European capitals has been called off, depriving countless fans of the chance to see one last performance of his greatest hits, including "Mad Max-style Dystopia", Impact Assessments in Excruciating Detail (But It is Not The Case That They Exist" and his stand-out hit, I Don't Have To Be Very Clever (I Do Just Have To Be Calm).
And who can forget his bravura performance of Threading the Eye of a Needle: "If you have a good eye and a steady hand, it is easy enough, but if somebody jogs your elbow, it is harder. If 650 people jog your elbow, it is very much harder.”
Well now he has jogged May's elbow, and we will see how much harder it makes her job. It turns out "David Davis" had only spent four hours in direct talks with Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator, this year.
Olly Robbins, the PM's Europe adviser, has been the star of that show for some time. So the "David Davis" resignation might not have a material impact on the negotiations with Brussels. But it is also a reminder that the "deal" agreed on Friday was only to set the government's negotiating position – Brussels is likely to demand more concessions.
One senior Tory told me this morning that the departure of "David Davis" would help May in Brussels: "For all the truth that he is idle, thick and can't play as part of a team, they have actually heard of him."
The resignation news is already resonating across Westminster, where talk of letters calling for a leadership challenge is mounting. Sarah O'Grady, wife of Stewart Jackson who was Davis's chief of staff until a few hours ago, broke the news of the resignation on Twitter, adding: "Interesting – and heavier than usual – post bag for 1922 committee chair Graham Brady tomorrow? #48letters."
Remember, it takes 48 letters to trigger a vote of no confidence in May – and there are probably 48 Tory MPs who want her gone. But they fear they do not have the numbers to win that vote, meaning she would be returned with a new mandate.
All day yesterday the focus had been on Boris Johnson, after the foreign secretary told the Chequers meeting that defending the PM's (rather soft-looking) version of Brexit would be like "polishing a turd" . How could he sign up to a plan and then ridicule it to the PM's face? "Because he is a turd," one cabinet minister texted last night. "Boris not the only turd then," the same minister texted early this morning.
Team Boris sought to play the whole thing down as a joke, insisting: "Only the EU will benefit from his voice not being around cabinet table." "David Davis" quitting now piles pressure on Johnson, who another minister described to me yesterday has having "the principles of a bendy bus". Helpfully the foreign secretary has a press conference this afternoon.
Publicity-shy Jacob Rees-Mogg breaks his silence for a rare media appearance this morning, taking part in a phone-in on LBC. He has already vowed to vote against the deal, and presumably now has "David Davis" and Baker ready to join him.
So, today the polishing begins. There are six No 10 briefings planned for MPs to explain the detail, a Commons statement this afternoon, and then the PM addresses Tory MPs at the 1922 committee meeting at 6pm. The full white paper is due to be published on Thursday. Oh, and there will have to be another reshuffle, with some ministers already tipping Michael Gove, who went out to bat for May's plan on The Andrew Marr Show yesterday. Liam Fox and Chris Grayling are also names in the frame.
And will "David Davis" give us one last performance with a Commons resignation statement, or just paint himself silver and stand silently still in the corner of the chamber/Covent Garden?
Sadly he never did get to win the Turner Prize.
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Who is saying what
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David Davis (ex-Brexit secretary): “I would have had to do something I didn’t believe in… that’s actually not a tenable position for somebody who believes in Brexit.”
Theresa May (prime minister): “I am sorry that the Government will not have the benefit of your continued expertise and counsel.”
Jeremy Hunt (health secretary, Today): “All of us feel a sense of great loss... When we deliver a successful Brexit, which I believe we will, history will judge him to have been one of the key architects."
Jacob Rees-Mogg (pro-Brexit Tory MP, BBC 5Live) "These proposals will have to come to the House of Commons in legislation ... without David Davis there, without his imprimatur, it will be very difficult for them to get the support of Conservative MPs and therefore the prime minister would be well advised to reconsider them."
Andrea Jenkyns (pro-Brexit Tory MP, Today): "Theresa May's premiership is over ... I want a Brexit prime minister ... I want someone who passionately believes in Brexit."
Anna Soubry (pro-Remain Tory MP, Twitter): "Far from perfect but the Cabinet Brexit plan (& forthcoming White Paper) marks grown up steps in the right. Not the time for egos, grandstanding and blind ideology (& interestingly no #Brexit plan of their own..) it is time to put the interests of our country first & foremost."
Bernard Jenkin (pro-Brexit Tory MP, Today): "There has been a massive haemorrhaging of trust ... I fear for the future of the country and I fear for the party ... what we have here are the elected politicians trying to overturn the result of the referendum."
Jeremy Corbyn (Labour leader, Twitter): "David Davis resigning at such a crucial time shows @Theresa_May has no authority left and is incapable of delivering Brexit. With her Government in chaos, if she clings on, it's clear she's more interested in hanging on for her own sake than serving the people of our country."
Carolyn Fairbairn (director-general of the CBI, Today): "This is a blow. One of the things that business welcomed on Friday was finally Cabinet unity."
Nigel Farage (ex-Ukip leader, Twitter): "Well done @DavidDavisMP. May's response shows that she is controlled by the civil service. For Brexit to succeed we must get rid of this awful, duplicitous PM."
Andrew Bridgen (pro-Brexit Tory MP, Good Morning Britain):"I think (with) the now-discredited Chequers agreement the PrimeMinister is going to have to have a complete re-think on this. There's no way she's going to get that proposal through Parliament. Not eventhrough the Government benches."
Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish first minister, Twitter): “The Chequers unity didn’t last long. This UK government is in utter chaos and ebbing authority by the day. What a shambles.”
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| Quote of the day |
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"It is possible sometimes for politicians to say two things that appear mildly contradictory and of all people Boris does sometimes do that.”
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Jeremy Hunt, health secretary
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| Tweet of the day |
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So with @DavidDavisMP and @SteveBakerHW resigning - it’s @DExEUgov s midnight runners
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@iain_w_anderson
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Today's cartoon from The Times
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Top News
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If it wasn't for the small matter of the government falling to pieces, we would all be focused on the other big political event of the week: Donald Trump's visit.
He arrives on Thursday, for "town hall" meeting at the ambassador's residence, followed by a meal at Blenheim Palace. Then on Friday there will be talks at Chequers with whoever is prime minister, and then tea with the Queen in Windsor, before flying to Scotland for golf.
The trip is being dominated by a row over military spending, with the US president furious at European countries (notably Germany) not meeting the Nato rule to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence. The Times reports that Britain is urging Germany to calm President Trump’s anger at low European defence spending by investing in railways and bridges that can be used by Nato troops in a crisis.
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Playing catch-up
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The NHS will have to spend £18 billion over the next three years just to get on top of targets, deal with a maintenance backlog and improve staffing levels and finances, analysis suggests.
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Read the full story
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Ones to watch today
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- Esther McVey, the work and pensions secretary, meets Sir Amyas Morse, the head of the National Audit Office, after the watchdog accused her of misrepresenting a report on Universal Credit.
One to listen
- Ed Miliband continues his transformation into Alan Partridge as he takes over hosting Jeremy Vine's show on Radio 2 until Wednesday. Only a matter of time until he is living in Travel Tavern with a big plate.
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Power grab
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New homes will have to be built with electric car chargers as part of a plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, it will be announced today.
Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, will say that the plan will pave the way “for the biggest overhaul in road transport technology since the development of the Benz patent motorcar 130 years ago”.
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Read the full story
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Around the world
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TURKEY: A purge of more than 18,000 police, soldiers, judges, academics and other civil servants began in Turkey yesterday as President Erdogan prepared to assume the greater powers he will exercise from this week. Read the full story
ITALY: Italy’s new populist government has revived a 2008 deal promising $5 billion in reparations to Libya to stop migrants sailing across the Mediterranean. Read the full story
GERMANY: The migration row that nearly brought down Angela Merkel’s government has boosted the far right, putting the Alternative for Germany party neck and neck with the Social Democrats in opinion polls. Read the full story
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Also in the news
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- MOD CONS: All mod cons: inmates get TVs and toastie-makers as rewards (The Times)
- CARE CRISIS: More than a million older people left without help (The Times)
- FUNDAMENTAL FLAWS: Carillion’s collapse exposes outsourcing failures, MPs warn (The Times)
- WORRYING TREND: Schools must not allow minority groups to dictate policy on hijabs or lessons, Ofsted chief warns (The Daily Telegraph)
- SEXIST ABUSE: Wolf-whistling at women could soon be a hate crime (Daily Mail)
- GREY POUND: Pensioners pay £24bn income tax per year after number of OAPs doubles (Daily Mirror)
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Agenda
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Today
- Esther McVey, the work and pensions secretary, meets Sir Amyas Morse, the head of the National Audit Office, after the watchdog accused her of misrepresenting a report on Universal Credit.
- Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, announces plans to enable a major uplift in electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
- Brexit white paper must alter government 'red lines', according to a UK in a Changing Europe report.
- Government should introduce policies to protect Welsh agriculture post-Brexit, according to the Welsh affairs committee.
- After Carillion: public sector outsourcing and contracting report published by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.
- 6pm James Brokenshire, the housing secretary, gives evidence to the housing, communities and local government committee.
- 6pm Theresa May addresses the 1922 committee of Tory MPs.
- 6pm Meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party meeting.
- 6.30pm Amanda Spielman, chief inspector of schools, gives a speech on British values and the role of education.
House of CommonsSelect Committees
House of Lords
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