Brexit: Amber Rudd urges rebels to back PM in EU vote
Image copyright PA/BBCThe former Home Secretary Amber Rudd has appealed to Conservative colleagues to support Theresa May when the Commons votes again on the EU withdrawal bill.
In a show of unity, Remainer Ms Rudd has co-authored a piece in Sunday's Telegraph with Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith, calling on MPs to back the PM.
Backing the bill was a "no brainer" and vital to delivering Brexit, they said.
The bill returns to the Commons next week as ministers try to overturn amendments made by the House of Lords.
In the joint article, the pair say the withdrawal bill is "not about competing visions of the future but about ensuring legal certainty at our point of departure".
They called on colleagues "to demonstrate discipline and unity of purpose".
"We cannot allow ourselves to become divided and risk losing the precious chance to go on implementing policies that transform lives."
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If enough Tory MPs decide to vote with Labour and other opposition parties, the government could be defeated on several key votes.
More than a dozen rebels could vote in favour of amendments intended to keep the UK in a customs union with the EU.
Remaining in such an arrangement after Brexit is now Labour's position, so any Tory rebellion could spell defeat for the government.
In the Telegraph piece, Ms Rudd and Mr Duncan Smith said Labour would be quick to exploit any government setback.
"Jeremy Corbyn will do everything he can to stop us," they warned.
"That includes cynically trying to frustrate the Brexit process for his own political ends."
Conversely, the government may be boosted by support from a handful of pro-Brexit Labour MPs.
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While ministers are confident of winning most of the votes, the other amendment raising concern is the one which defines Parliament's role at the end of the Brexit negotiations.
Appealing to those in the Tory Remain camp, the government says MPs will have plenty of opportunities in coming months to consider and vote on all aspects of Brexit, including any final deal that Mrs May negotiates.
But Sunday's Telegraph article stresses: "The disagreements in the party do not extend to whether we should leave, only how we do it".
Their comments echoed Mrs May herself, who, speaking at the G7 summit, accused lords of going "far beyond" their role with their amendments to the withdrawal bill.
"Let's remember what the withdrawal bill is for: it's about delivering a statute book that is ready for Brexit day."
"This government is delivering on the decision made by the country in the referendum to leave the EU and we will not accept anything that prevents us from taking back control of our money, laws and borders."
