Brexit warning: Boris to go on offensive and face down EU as Red Wall pressure builds

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The PM is set to go on the offensive a week after four out of 10 Conservative MPs refused to back him in a confidence vote.

The new legislation is aimed at removing obstacles to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It comes amid warnings that the threat to the PM over lockdown-era rule-breaking is far from over and he will enter the “danger zone” in just a few months when the privileges committee rules on whether he misled the House of Commons.

His Government’s bold proposals to “fix” the fiercely controversial Northern Ireland Protocol could trigger a new row with the EU and lead to parliamentary rebellions. 

But he is determined to rescue the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has refused to join until its objections to the protocol are addressed.

The protocol was intended to avoid the need for border within the island of Ireland but it has been blamed for damaging trade with Great Britain and diminishing Northern Ireland’s status as a full part of the UK.

A senior Government source said: “There are those who favour never-ending negotiation with the EU but we can’t allow this to drift any longer. Protecting peace and stability in Northern Ireland is too important.

“It’s time for decisive action to fix the protocol so that we can get trade flowing, restore power-sharing at Stormont and ensure that UK courts, not the European Court of Justice, are sovereign.”

“We’re still open to a deal with the EU if they change their position but we won’t shirk from our duty to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and the peace process.”

Full details of the proposals will be unveiled this week in Parliament.

The source said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who last week visited Belfast, had “no plan for fixing the Protocol and no intention of listening to unionists who feel the protocol is robbing them of their identity.”

Another source praised the role of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, saying: “She is the one in government who has really grasped the nettle and whipped this legislation into shape. She gets difficult things done.”

A new confrontation with Brussels could stir memories of Mr Johnson’s determination to “get Brexit done” in the run-up to his landslide victory in the 2019 election. 

This week he is expected to face demands to deliver on his levelling up promises at a gathering of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs at Doncaster Racecourse.

An NRG source said that “pressure will be on to deliver for the Red Wall, with talk of an early election gathering pace”.

A series of “asks” will be put forward on issues including the cost of living, education and devolving more power away from Westminster.

A spokesperson for the NRG said: “The NRG conference will be a chance for all members to come together and shape the future of conservativism in the north.”

In Westminster, supporters of the PM are braced for more turmoil over ‘Partygate’ in the coming months.

One senior Conservative warned: “It’s going to get much worse.”

They expect Mr Johnson will enter “the real danger zone” when the privileges committee delivers its verdict on whether he misled MPs in his statements about Covid-era gatherings in Downing St.”

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis, who has called for Mr Johnson to quit, described the moment when the committee reports as “the point of danger”.

He said: “They will make a decision as to whether he knowingly misled the House. That’s the key question.”

“If they find the answer to that is Yes, then that’s an automatic resignation under the ministerial code.”

If the privileges committee rules that Mr Johnson has committed a “contempt” it will recommend the sanction he should face. MPs will then vote on its recommendations.

It is not expected to report until the autumn. Before then, the Conservatives face the challenge of holding onto Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton in the June 23 by-elections.

A former supporter of Mr Johnson said he expected Mr Johnson would be gone in three to five months, saying: “The curtain is about to come down and they are just waiting for the overture.”

Former Labour frontbencher Barry Gardiner argues the confidence vote, which saw 148 Conservatives vote against Mr Johnson, proves there is an “overwhelming majority in Parliament” who believe he is not fit to be Prime Minister.

He said: “It is not simply, I think, up to the Conservatives to dethrone him. I believe Parliament will have the opportunity to do that when the privileges committee reports later on in the year because, of course, that report has to be voted upon.”

A Tory critic of Mr Johnson said: “It’s like when a lunatic pilot is in the cockpit and at the controls… There are 148 of us and we want to break down the cockpit door and take control.”

Rother Valley Conservative MP Alexander Stafford warned plotters against “playing fast and loose with people’s lives” by trying to bring the PM down while the Government was attempting to bring down the cost of living.”

He said: “Let’s actually unite, deal with the big issues.”

Labour leader Sir Keir continues to face his own challenges, with recent YouGov polling finding more than half (55 percent) of the public says he does not look like a Prime Minister in waiting; fifty-two percent said Labour is currently not ready for government.

Patrick English of YouGov said: “These figures highlight the problem Keir Starmer currently faces – despite very poor ratings and deep unpopularity for Boris Johnson and the Conservatives, Labour are simply not building the kind of polling lead we typically associate with an opposition ready to strike and take power at the next general election.

“They need to do a lot more to convince voters frustrated with the Conservatives and their response to ‘partygate’ and the cost of living crisis that Labour has a plan and can be trusted to deliver it if they are to win in 2024.”

Labour leader Sir Keir continues to face his own challenges, with recent YouGov polling finding more than half (55 percent) of the public says he does not look like a Prime Minister in waiting; fifty-two percent said Labour is currently not ready for government.

Patrick English of YouGov said: “These figures highlight the problem Keir Starmer currently faces – despite very poor ratings and deep unpopularity for Boris Johnson and the Conservatives, Labour are simply not building the kind of polling lead we typically associate with an opposition ready to strike and take power at the next general election.

“They need to do a lot more to convince voters frustrated with the Conservatives and their response to ‘partygate’ and the cost of living crisis that Labour has a plan and can be trusted to deliver it if they are to win in 2024.”

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