In a rousing speech to the House of Commons, Ken Clarke, MP for Rushcliffe, Nottingham, for over forty years, declared that he would be voting against Theresa May's Brexit bill on Wednesday evening. In the impassioned address, Clarke accused his party of becoming both anti-immigration and so Eurosceptic Enoch Powell would be surprised.
Baffling Brexit
Clarke, famously anti-referendums throughout the entirety of his political career, declared that MPs should follow their conscience rather than their constituents. Clarke, a former Chancellor, said: 'Brexit is baffling the United Kingdom's friends abroad.
Leaving the European Union would be a terrible move for our children and our grandchildren'.
Naturally, Clarke's speech was greeted with heckling and tutting, but Ken Clarke fired back. Sarcastically, Clarke fired shots directly at the Prime Minister: 'I fully admire my colleagues that have suddenly become enthusiastic Brexiteers due to the result of the vote on the 23rd June. Unfortunately, I have yet to see the light'.
'Vote with your conscience, not your constituents'
Last week, Jo Stevens, Labour MP, resigned due to her opposition to Brexit. Ken Clarke is the first Conservative MP to publically oppose the party whip issued by Theresa May. Furthermore, Clarke continued to attack the notion that anti-Brexit MPs should vote in agreement with their constituents.
'I have fought countless elections and I have always advocated voting for the Conservative Party. However, the British public have not always voted for the Conservative Party. Never have I been told that it was my democratic duty to support the policies of the Labour Party because it is my democratic obligation'.
Theresa May's Brexit bill will go in front of the House of Commons this evening after today's PMQs.
Despite Clarke's speech, the bill will likely pass through parliament unamended due to Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May both issuing party whips. The largest opposition to the bill will likely come from the Scotish National Party, who are expected to use a Brexit vote in parliament to leverage another Scotish independence referendum.
