PM urges successor to seek Brexit consensus

LONDON: Theresa May has urged her successor to seek a consensus over Brexit as Brussels stressed there could be “no renegotiation” of the Withdrawal Agreement.Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned the Tories face “destruction” if a new leader calls a general election before delivering Brexit. The Foreign Secretary, who is among 10 MPs vying to be the next prime minister, said a failure to solve Brexit could ruin the end of the Conservatives and warned the “biggest risk” to delivering on the referendum was a general election.His comments came as Housing Minister Kit Malthouse became the latest person to enter the race to succeed Theresa May, telling the Press Association there was a “hunger for someone new”.May, attending a summit in Brussels, said the European election results in which the Tories took just 9 per cent of the vote were “deeply disappointing”. She added: “I think what it shows is the importance of actually delivering on Brexit. I think the best way to do that is with a deal. But it will be for my successor and for Parliament to find a way forward and get a consensus.”The comments are aimed atBrexiteers in the race to replace her who have said they are prepared to back a no-deal departure from the EU, something which could lead to a clash with Parliament.Hunt warned rivals that calling a general election — potentially to win a mandate for a no-deal Brexit — could be a disaster for the Tories, insisting that the UK’s exit from the EU must be completed before going to the polls.Setting out the scale of the challenge facing the Tories, Hunt told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We must not go back to the electorate asking for their mandate until we’ve delivered what we promised we would do last time, which is to deliver Brexit, it would be absolutely catastrophic for us as a party.”Hunt, who campaigned for Remain in the 2016 referendum but has adopted an increasingly Eurosceptic tone, said he had “always believed we should keep no deal on the table” as it is the “best way of getting a good deal”. He said it was important to “find a different way to get a deal”, adding “we have to have a go at this” as he proposed forming a new wider negotiating team to change the Withdrawal Agreement.Leadership rival Dominic Raab also said he was focused on “getting a fairer deal from the EU as we leave”. But outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stressed “there will be no renegotiation”.The agreement between the EU and Mrs May to delay Brexit until October 31 included a commitment not to seek a renegotiation of the deal.Meanwhile, Malthouse, who brought together Tory Leavers and Remainers behind a compromise Brexit plan earlier this year, said he had a “good number” of MPs backing his bid. “We’ve got to find a way to unite the Conservative Party to deliver a Brexit plan so we can move onto a really compelling, attractive domestic agenda that might command victory at a general election,” Malthouse told the Press Association. “One of the reasons that I’m running is that I’m the only person who has actually done that.”

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