They’ve kept their heads down since the referendum, but influential Remainers in the cabinet could be the last line of defence if Theresa May seeks to impose a destructive Brexit after the election. It therefore makes sense for pro-Europeans to vote for some ministers on June 8. But which ones?
InFacts has analysed the record of all the 22 MPs in the cabinet (see table below). Six supported Leave last year. Pro-Europeans should clearly vote against them. Of the 16 who backed Remain, 10 are worth keeping on the basis that they are reasonably likely to stand up to May if she tries to do something really crazy like crash out of the EU with no deal.
How should you vote?
The prime minister herself shouldn’t be supported because she is now the high priestess of Brexit. The remaining five don’t seem to have sufficiently strong beliefs on Brexit to provide any brake on whatever she wishes.
Dividing the cabinet into strong and soft Remainers isn’t scientific. It inevitably involves judgment – not only of how vocal ministers were in the past but of whether they will have the guts to confront the prime minister in the future.
We’ve used the following sources:
- Hammond is reportedly loathed by cabinet Brexiters and pragmatic on issues such as migration.
- Rudd gave a strong defence of EU membership in a key referendum TV debate.
- Greening was a strong voice for Remain, though not from a naturally pro-EU position originally.
- Clark is a passionate pro-European in a Remain constituency.
- Green enthusiastically tackled Leavers’ distortions on immigration.
- Lidington was outspoken – particularly on British expats.
- Mundell raised early alarms of Brexit’s threat to the Union.
- Brokenshire is a pro-European who is fighting to avoid a hard border in Ireland.
- Bradley held pro-European views during the referendum.
- McLoughlin helped launch the Remain campaign and was outspoken on transport.
- Fallon is a natural eurosceptic who justified his Remain campaigning as “scepticism of risk”.
- Truss was prone to euroscepticism.
- Javid justified his decision to back Remain with an article in the Mail on Sunday headlined: “It’s a failure. But, with a heavy heart, I believe we MUST stay in.”
Since publishing this article we have decided to no longer back Conservative cabinet ministers.