Brexiteers on the Tory backbenches are increasingly frustrated with warnings to Rishi Sunak not to rely on Labour votes to pass his Brexit deal.
Labour has swiftly moved to exploit this, encouraging Sunak to rely on their support, as there is a significant potential rebellion on his own benches.
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that Labour will back the Prime Minister’s deal if he can seal it with the EU this afternoon.
With the Prime Minister set to enter the final round of talks with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tensions are mounting in Westminster over the contents of the deal.
Despite a senior Whitehall source suggesting that “nobody will get everything they want, but everybody will get something,” a Tory backbencher has reported that their colleagues are getting “very angry.”
There is frustration that the DUP and the ERG of Tory Brexiteers, chaired by Mark Francois, have not yet seen a written text and that the Prime Minister plans to push the deal through Parliament.
Reeves has urged the Prime Minister to put politics aside and focus on securing a deal that improves on the current situation.
However, she has also attempted to split the Conservative Party by suggesting that the Government need not worry about the rebels in their own party, as Labour’s votes will provide a majority.
This has led senior Conservative MPs to warn the Prime Minister about the potential consequences of relying on Labour votes.
Over 100 Conservative MPs may rebel if the deal is seen as a sellout over Northern Ireland, with the possibility of ministerial resignations from the likes of Suella Braverman, James Cleverly, and Penny Mordaunt, who are all reportedly unhappy.
Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have also criticised Sunak over the issue and positioned themselves for a possible leadership bid if there is an attempted coup against him.
Despite this, Sunak remains optimistic that a deal will be reached that benefits Northern Ireland, businesses, and communities.
He has described the deal as something “very positive” that will give Northern Ireland control of its own destiny and allow everyone to move forward.
