Michael Fabricant: May's Brexit 'betrayal' will see Tories out of power for a decade
Michael Fabricant says he will vote against Theresa May's Brexit deal, insisting it will lead to the Tories being out of office for at least 10 years.
The Lichfield Tory MP and Brexiteer says he would be unable to look himself in the mirror if he supported the Prime Minister's agreement with the EU, which is opposed by around two-thirds of MPs.
He says the deal, which Mrs May is attempting to tout around the country, represents a betrayal of the Brexit vote and would squander the 'political advantages' from calling the referendum.
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Mr Fabricant said: "I realise the huge risks in voting against the Government on this issue.
"The Government might collapse, we might crash out of Europe in March over a precipice, or it might even jeopardise Brexit itself. But the risks of accepting this deal are even greater.
"If we leave the EU with this agreement, the sense of betrayal will be overwhelming and the Conservative Party will be out of office for a decade or more.
"Arlene Foster has already said the DUP will revisit the confidence and supply arrangement if the Withdrawal Agreement passes.
"I was in the Commons as a new MP and saw for myself the outcome of bad decisions which led to crushing defeat at the 1997 general election.
"However, there is an alternative. After a Commons defeat, No 10 could regain the initiative. We could still enter into a free trade agreement with the EU – an agreement encouraged by Merkel and Macron.
"And contingency no-deal planning could still mean an orderly, and more complete, Brexit.
"I rarely vote against my Government, but conscience and the long-term future of my nation, and yes, my party too, take precedence. I could not look myself in the mirror if I supported this deal."
Mr Fabricant recently vowed to support Mrs May as party leader providing she pushed for a 'no deal' Brexit.
