Pro-European Conservatives Join U.K. Group to Counter Brexiteers

(Bloomberg) -- Pro-European Conservative members of the U.K. Parliament have formed a party grouping in an attempt to counter the influence of the Brexiteer wing as the Tories gear up for a leadership election to replace Theresa May as prime minister.

As many as 50 MPs are signed up to the “One Nation” Conservatives, which has met regularly since early this month, former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, one of the organizers, said in an interview. They're essentially a counterpoint to the European Research Group of about 60 Brexiteer Tories that is influential in shaping May's red lines on Brexit, even though many of them continue to reject the deal she's negotiated with the European Union.

"It's to make sure that all future leadership candidates remember that we are at our most effective when we are a broad party championing one-nation politics,” including an internationalist outlook, social liberalism and running a sound economy, Morgan said. "On the EU, we will not be supporting people who voted for a no-deal Brexit."

The new group is likely to be influential in the contest to succeed May, who last week pledged to quit as premier if lawmakers agree to the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. While Parliament still rejected the deal for a third time on Friday, there's an expectation in the party that she'll go in coming months, paving the way for a leadership election that may determine who will lead negotiations on establishing Britain's future relationship with the EU.

Churchill Heir

In addition to Morgan, the board includes Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, former Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green and influential rank-and-file Tory Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Winston Churchill. Soames in an interview said that while the One Nation Conservatives date back to the 1950s as a Parliamentary dining club, they're now seeking to push their voice much more actively.

"We've allowed our voice to be drowned out in this very unfortunate and unpleasant debate over Brexit that has hijacked the agenda,” Soames said. "We will be looking to find and support a candidate for the leadership who has a proper liberal conservative view that is fit for the 2020s and not the 1920s."

Soames agreed with Morgan that the group couldn't support anyone pushing for a no-deal Brexit, but both refused to discuss individuals. Even so, their comments appear to rule out support for contenders such as former cabinet ministers Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and Esther McVey, all of whom were among 157 Tories who voted on Wednesday for a no-deal Brexit in a series of indicative votes on different approaches to Brexit.

Some 170 Tories, including 11 cabinet ministers, wrote to May on Friday urging a no-deal departure on April 12, the Sun said Saturday. Conservative Party Chairman Brandon Lewis confirmed the letter in a BBC radio interview, but said he hadn't seen the language or the signatures.

Other backers of the One Nation group include the cabinet ministers Greg Clark, David Gauke and David Mundell, the junior minister Rory Stuart; Alistair Burt, who quit as a minister earlier this month, and May's former policy chief, George Freeman.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Steve Geimann

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