ERG deputy willing to stand for Tory leadership with Brexiteer backing
The European Research Group has launched a paper on how to rip up the current Brexit deal and achieve a ‘clean, managed’ exit from the EU.
European Research Group (ERG) deputy chairman Steve Baker has announced he will stand in the Tory leadership contest if colleagues ask him to.
Launching a paper on how to rip up the current Brexit deal and achieve a “clean, managed” exit from the EU, Mr Baker said the new leader must be willing to follow its recommendations.
Otherwise, Mr Baker said, the group would need to put forward its own candidate – and he was willing to join the race when it officially opens on Monday.
“I am in the hands of my colleagues,” he said.
“If we get to the opening and closing of nominations on Monday and we collectively agree there must be somebody who is willing to do this then I would be willing to be the person who gets nominated.”
Brexiteers were “spoiled for choice” for candidates, Mr Baker added, and named three candidates – Esther McVey, Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson – he believed could back the ERG paper.
“I have to say Esther, Dom and Boris are all three of them excellent candidates, talented people,” he said.
“All of them I believe capable, with their own approach, of in the end delivering a satisfactory exit from the EU and indeed win a general election.”
Mr Baker’s potential candidacy would take the number of contenders in the leadership race back up to 12 if he does decide to stand on Monday.
Ms McVey said the ERG paper was “spot on”, adding: “The Withdrawal Agreement is dead and only a clean Brexit on October 31 will deliver the referendum result and ensure we don’t fatally wound our party and allow Jeremy Corbyn to become prime minister.”
She said it was clear the EU would not renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement, so “let’s actively embrace leaving the EU without a deal”.
