Britain ‘held to ransom’ by Tories pushing for hard Brexit, Nicky Morgan warns in new alliance with Labour and Lib Dem heavyweights
Former Tory cabinet minister will share platform with David Miliband and Nick Clegg – as party allegiances break down over EU departure
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Your support makes all the difference.Former cabinet minister Nicky Morgan is joining forces with Labour and Liberal Democrat heavyweights to warn that Britain is being “held to ransom” by fellow Tories hell bent on a hard Brexit.
David Miliband and Nick Clegg will share a platform with Ms Morgan in the starkest evidence yet that party allegiances are breaking down as battle rages over departure from the EU.
The former education secretary will condemn some of her fellow Conservatives for trying to set Britain on a “path to a fantasy island” of “economic pain” and diminished standing.
“Less than six months before the deadline for concluding the terms of our departure, hard-Brexit demands are holding the country’s negotiating position to ransom,” the trio have written in a joint article.
“Even a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU predicted the UK will see growth drop by 5 per cent over the next 15 years compared with current forecasts, as a result of additional bureaucratic border checks.
“The ensuing economic pain will be felt in every part of the country. This is not Project Fear; it is project reality based on the government’s own analysis.”
Ms Morgan, together with the former Lib Dem deputy prime minister and Labour foreign secretary, called on MPs to stand up to “the hardest of Brexits”.
“Over the coming months, MPs will have the chance to table amendments to Bills – and vote for those amendments – which can prevent the country from suffering the long-term damage that a hard Brexit will cause.
“The pro-Brexit press will angrily protest, but what is the role of MPs if not to improve and protect the lives of their constituents?”
The article, in The Mail on Sunday, comes ahead of the joint appearance on Monday, when the trio will flesh out their proposed path of resistance in parliament.
It does not name-and-shame any Conservatives, but comes just days after Boris Johnson broke ranks to condemn Theresa May’s preferred customs plan as “crazy”.
Meanwhile, Jacob Rees-Mogg leads a 60-strong group of Tory MPs that has suggested it will try to topple the prime minister if she compromises too far.
Ms Morgan has spoken out as Ms May was forced to issue a “trust me” plea to the public, as she fights off mounting criticism that her warring cabinet threatens to derail Brexit.
The prime minister dismissed bitter rows among her top ministers about how Britain should leave the European Union as simply “noisy debate and technical discussions”.
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