British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party faces a “catastrophic split” if she persists with her proposals on Brexit, which 80 or more of her lawmakers are prepared to vote against, a former j nior Minister said.
Such public criticism, a day after former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson cast her Brexit plans as “a suicide vest” wrapped around the British Constitution, indicates how hard it could be for Ms. May to get any Brexit deal approved.
Steve Baker, a former junior Brexit Minister, told the Press Association he was not advocating a change of leader but said Ms. May faced a massive problem at the September 30-October 3 party conference.
If 80 of Ms. May’s 315 lawmakers voted against a Brexit deal based on her proposals, the fate of the government and exit process would depend on the Opposition Labour Party because she would not command the 320 votes needed to dominate Parliament.
Divisions over Britain’s relationship with the EU contributed to the fall of all three previous Conservative Premiers — David Cameron, John Major and Margaret Thatcher.