Embattled Anti-Brexit Tories Get New Mojo From John Major

(Bloomberg) -- Ever since Britain's surprise vote to leave the European Union, Conservatives who oppose Brexit have been on the back foot. 

Stunned by their defeat, leaderless with the resignation of David Cameron, they struggled to know how to implement a democratic instruction that they believed to be a fundamental error.

But now they are optimistic. A series of developments have moved things in their direction. The opposition Labour Party has moved to a clearer Brexit position, backing a customs union with the EU and offering the chance to win parliamentary votes on the issue. 

Meanwhile the question of the U.K.'s border with Ireland is exposing the consequences of Prime Minister Theresa May's determination to break from the customs bloc.

While pro-Brexit hardliners are veteran rebels who have battled Conservative governments for decades, the pro-EU Tories are new to guerrilla tactics. Many are former ministers, whose political careers have flourished on the basis of loyalty and discretion. They have found it strange to be rebels, branded "mutineers" in the pro-Brexit press.

That's why Wednesday's speech by former prime minister John Major was an important moment. As well as calling for a second referendum on the result of the Brexit negotiations, he told Conservatives to vote with their conscience. “They must make the decision whether to go for their party ticket or their constituents' wellbeing,” he said. 

For Major, who has made a virtue of being helpful to his successors, that was an extraordinary thing to say. He was urging Conservative members of parliament to vote against the policy of a Conservative government. “This is far more than just a party issue,” he explained. “It's about the future of our United Kingdom, and everyone who lives in it.”

What Is Theresa May's Next Move? A Game of Brinkmanship Is On

The pro-EU rebels are dismissive of suggestions that they want to force May out or cause another election. One of those backing a pro-customs union amendment to the Trade Bill said privately that such moves should be seen as a way of opening a conversation with the government. They have learned that it's only by threatening to rebel that they can get May's attention.

To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Emma Ross-Thomas

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