Leadership hopefuls must be straight with us about their Brexit Plan B
By: Sam Gyimah
Tags: Brexit, UK Politics, UK, News

Mike Tyson once said: “Everyone has a plan till they are punched in the mouth.”

Now, while I accept you might not look to the former heavyweight champion for advice on international trade and diplomacy, any serious Conservative Party leadership contender should still heed these words when it comes to answering the most difficult questions the party and the country faces over Brexit.

Some of our candidates say they have a Plan A that prioritises a deal renegotiated with the EU; others have a Plan A that endorses no-deal as an acceptable alternative.

Both these Plan As gloss over so much of what has happened in the last three years, it’s as if the last 36 months never happened. Several attempts at renegotiating the backstop, cross-party talks with Labour, securing a majority for no-deal — all these have been tested extensively.

The frontrunners, most of whom have been in the cabinet, know the negotiating constraints and trade-offs, and they know too that there is no better deal out there than the May deal. We are not where we are for want of trying. Yet, they continue to treat this issue as an internal Conservative Party discussion with the focus on what Brexit solution would receive Nigel Farage’s blessing, as opposed to what is deliverable in the national interest.

But none of them has offered their Plan B. None of them has told us what happens when their Plan A — their only plan, carefully calibrated to appeal to the Conservative selectorate — collides with reality.

This is crucially important because very soon the EU 27 will again confirm it will not re-open the withdrawal agreement. Parliament will also use every possible procedural tactic available to block no-deal.

What happens if the Conservative parliamentary party is asked to choose between a general election in the present political climate, or something else that provides a way out, and that has deep support in large parts of the country?

These questions do not represent philosophical tomfoolery, they represent challenges which are advancing upon us rapidly and ominously. And we all know it.

In recent months, there has been a relentless focus on Theresa May’s personal failings as she tried her best to deliver Brexit, while ignoring the cold logic around key issues. To take just one example, you can’t have a border on one side in Ireland, without there being a border on the other side. You cannot wish this fundamental issue away with technology.

The need for a Plan B is why I entered the leadership race, on the platform of a second referendum. To bring the views of millions of Britons on how to solve the current deadlock to the fore.

As things stand, this may be the only way through. The government can’t do Brexit without parliament. Parliament hasn’t voted in favour of any deal, and a new prime minister will be dealing with the same arithmetic.

If parliament cannot give us the solution, then we must go back to the people. That is what a growing share of the public are now demanding.

If we do, we will have only two options. Either we endure months of further parliamentary prevarication until a general election lets the people speak anyway. Or we leave with no-deal, with none of the big questions answered (apart, of course, from “who is the new PM?”) and with our position in the world terribly damaged.

Because no-deal is no solution. It is not about “taking back control”, it is about abdicating responsibility, abandoning influence and apportioning blame to all but ourselves. It’s really rather cowardly.

That is why the Conservative Party must provide the country with a Plan B, and a leader who is courageous enough to enact it if need be.

Returning to the wisdom of Mike Tyson, another thing he said about boxing was: “Everybody thinks this is a tough man’s sport. This is not a tough man’s sport. This is a thinking man’s sport. A tough man is gonna get hurt real bad in this sport.”

Brexit is a thinking person’s sport. Talking tough without a plan to back up your big words? Eventually, that’s going to get you punched in the mouth.

From the Times Red Box