A Political Whirlwind, with Siobhain McDonagh MP and Stephen Hammond MP

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The last few weeks have been a political whirlwind for Theresa May. She has faced the threat of a vote of no confidence; at least 25 have been handed in to the 1922 committee. She has also faced major resignations from her Cabinet for the second time since July, when former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson resigned from the position of Foreign Secretary. She reveals why she’s not satisfied with Ms May’s deal, which easily passed through the European Parliament last Sunday. Mr Hammond reveals why he believes it is not the right time to oust the Prime Minister, who seems more weak and wobbly than strong and stable.

Siobhain McDonagh has been MP for Mitcham and Morden since Tony Blair had a landslide victory in the 1997 general election. She was a councillor and contested her seat in the 1987 and the 1992 general elections, but failed to defeat the incumbent Dame Angela Rumbold, a Conservative. She was a Government Whip until 2008, when she called for a leadership challenge to Gordon Brown. Her sister, Margaret was General Secretary of the Labour Party. I asked her some questions.

What is your current view on Brexit?

I campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU throughout the referendum, however this was not the result that was ultimately reached by the electorate. As an MP I have a duty to protect the welfare of my constituents, and that is why I have consistently fought against any measures put forward by the Government which I believed threatened the interests of the residents and businesses of Mitcham and Morden.

Would you vote for the prime minister's deal?

I have resolutely opposed a 'hard Brexit' which I think could do real economic harm to the UK and have supported a number of amendments to the various Brexit Bills, including a successful amendment which guaranteed that Parliament would have a vote on the final deal. At present, I am not satisfied that the deal Theresa May is set to ask Parliament to vote on can deliver for our country or my constituency. As such, I have no intention of voting for this deal.

What would you do differently?

I believe that too little concrete information was available to the public during the European Referendum, and I also share the view that people's understanding of what the practical consequences of Brexit are likely to be are considerably different now compared to 18 months ago. I believe that once we are in possession of all the facts and with a final Brexit deal in place, the public must have a right to a People's Vote. I believe that Brexit is the biggest political challenge of a generation and for the good of the country and future generations, it is important we get it right.

Stephen Hammond has been Conservative MP for Wimbledon since the 2005 general election. He replaced Steven Barclay (the new Brexit secretary) as Minister of State for Health; he was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport. I also asked him some questions.

What is your current view on Brexit?

I voted to remain in the European Union, as did a large majority of people in Wimbledon. Unfortunately, we did not win the referendum and therefore we are now leaving the European Union. My role is to ensure that the people of Wimbledon’s jobs, livelihoods and security are protected as well as the country’s economy. I will act in a way which is most likely to do this.

Would you vote for the prime minister's deal?

I took some time to look carefully at the deal after it was published, and I came to the view that supporting this deal would be the most likely way to protect jobs and the economy.

It is also important note that the deal provides a transitional period, which businesses have been calling for, to allow time for the future relationship to be negotiated. This future relationship is by far the most important part of the process in my view and this is what we should be focused on now. This is not just my view, it is shared by Kenneth Clarke, Nicky Morgan and many other of those who have been called the ‘Brexit mutineers’.

The deal is supported by the IOD, British Irish Chamber of Commerce and other business groups. Accepting the deal, and negotiating the future framework is the most certain way to protect jobs and the economy.

What would you do differently to her?

Throughout the process it has been no secret that I have disagreed with the Government on some issues and voted to reflect that. For this, I have been called a mutineer, attacked on the front pages of national newspapers, lost my role as Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party and received death threats because I stood up with a small number of colleagues to oppose a Hard Brexit.

By doing so, we secured the right for Parliament to vote on the final deal and ultimately ensured the Brexit process would be much more accountable to Parliament. We also achieved commitments in legislation to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland, as well as protections for refugee rights and environmental standards.

Would you hand in a letter of no confidence against the prime minister?

Absolutely not. This is not the time for the Conservative Party to hold a leadership contest. Furthermore, changing the leader would not change the fact there is no majority in the House of Commons for a ‘Hard Brexit’ or ‘No Deal’.

Do you like your new job as minister of state for health, replacing the new Brexit secretary?

It was a great honor to be appointed Minister of State for Health and to be honest a huge surprise! While Brexit is of course extremely important, we must not lose sight of the fact that ‘normal’ government needs to continue. I believe ensuring the NHS can continue to be there for everyone and is always improving is a vital job to be done.

I regard it as one of the most important Ministerial roles in Government, and I am responsible for NHS finance and workforce.

If there was a motion of no confidence (which now seems unlikely), would you enter a leadership contest?

No.

What would you say to Conservative "rebels"?

As someone who has rebelled a number of times over the last year, all I can say is that Members of Parliament should vote with their conscience and put the country’s and their constituency’s interests first.

Prime Minister Theresa May may have survived Jacob Rees-Moggs’s “coup”. Whether she survives Parliament rejecting her Brexit deal (which seems highly likely, with even the DUP, with whom the Prime Minister has a deal with to prop up her weak

This article was originally published on the 26th November 2018 at https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/youngreporter/17256382.a-political-whirlwind/