After the Conservatives conference in Birmingham, senior members of Conservative party revealed they had been in continuous talks with the Labour Party members in order to secure votes needed to push Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan forward, even if it means that opposition party’s leader Jeremy Corbyn wouldn’t become next country leader, the Guardian reported.
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The talks had reportedly started after party members realized that they might need Labour votes to put the deal through parliament, as Prime Minister’s opponents within the party, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, announced they would vote against May’s plan.
A source within the Labour Party identified that at least 15 members are considering voting with the government rather than trying to “block Brexit” and about 30 are going to abstain rather than protest and lobby for hard Brexit.
“Labour has been clear from the outset that if Theresa May’s Brexit deal does not meet our six tests then we will vote against it in parliament,” another Labour source said.
He added: “The Tories are wrong to say it’s a choice between Theresa May’s deal or no deal. No deal is simply not a viable option. There is no majority in parliament to take the UK off a cliff in March 2019.”
The Conservatives are looking for ways to secure votes for May’s plan as the tensions within the party heat up. Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, has suggested that about 80 Tory rebels could vote against Prime Minister May's vision of Brexit.
May is expected to deliver the details of her revised plan, based on the Chequers plan, to the EU on October 16. After that, the Prime Minister’s team would only have until November 16 to make any amendments. The plan should satisfy not only the EU members but the UK Parliament as well, and be approved through a voting procedure known as “meaningful vote.”