You don't have to want a Corbyn government to realise Heseltine makes a good point about Brexit

Despite Theresa May’s success in securing a phase one Brexit deal, the Conservative Party is ending the year with yet another internal squabble over Europe. The Bow Group, the oldest conservative think tank, and some Eurosceptic MPs and peers, have called for Michael Heseltine to lose the party whip for suggesting that a Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn could be less damaging than Brexit.

Ms May should ignore this silly overreaction by a section of her party that is never satisfied, no matter how many Brexit sweeties she throws in its direction. After all, she fired Lord Heseltine as a government adviser in March for rebelling in the House of Lords by supporting a “meaningful vote” in Parliament on a Brexit deal.

His latest act of “sabotage”, according to his Tory critics, came when he told the Limehouse podcast that a Labour government would have a negative impact on the country, but Brexit would be worse. The former Deputy Prime Minister said: “Well, we have survived Labour governments before. Their damage tends to be short-term and capable of rectification. Brexit is not short-term and is not easily capable of rectification. There will be those who question whether the short-term pain justifies the avoidance of the long-term disaster.” It is also worth noting that Lord Heseltine said that while Mr Corbyn had become “quite a capable leader”, he did not think the public would make him prime minister.

So his remarks were more balanced than his detractors suggested in their extreme response. Lord Tebbit, an old foe since they served in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet, suggested that Lord Heseltine apply for a whip from Brussels or Labour and was worried about his “health”. Ben Harris-Quinney, who chairs the Bow Group, claimed the “traitorous and self-serving practices” of his career were continuing in “senility”.

Lord Heseltine might be 84 but is as sharp as ever. Fortunately, more sensible members of the Government, including the Business Secretary Greg Clark, still value his counsel on issues such as industrial policy.

You do not have to actively want a Corbyn government to realise that Lord Heseltine makes a valid point. If the Government opts for a hard Brexit outside the single market and customs union, there is no guarantee that trade deals with non-EU countries will compensate for the reduced access to the UK’s biggest market. Brexit could then prove an unprecedented act of economic self-harm. Far better to stick close to the EU, as the Chancellor Philip Hammond advocates – at least for several years, until the benefits of new trade agreements are bankable.

Lord Heseltine wants to go further than that and makes no apology for wanting to stop Brexit in its entirety. He believes public opinion is on the turn, and that Labour will eventually come out against Brexit, leaving the Tories dangerously exposed. Although Labour has moved to a soft Brexit stance since the June election, he may be disappointed: in his interview with The Independent yesterday, Mr Corbyn said Labour is not advocating a second referendum. It would probably take a significant shift in public opinion to change Labour’s mind. But Mr Corbyn should remember he has led rather than followed voters on issues such as austerity and keep a referendum under review. He should listen to those in his party who argue for permanent membership of the single market and a customs union, which Labour supports for the transitional period.

Ms May has already pandered to hardline Brexiteers this month by sacking Stephen Hammond as a Tory vice-chairman for being among the 11 so-called “mutineers” who ensured her defeat in the Commons – again over a “meaningful” Brexit vote.

Any action against Lord Heseltine would be gratuitous. The Prime Minister should live up to her own rhetoric about healing the wounds from last year’s referendum. If she takes sides in the endless civil war in her party, she will fail in her duty to unite a still divided country.