Brexit: David Davis offers last minute olive branch to pro-EU rebels to avoid damaging Tory defeat

Some Tory rebels have since said they will not oppose the government in a key vote

David Davis sent his letter out on Wednesday afternoon (Reuters)

Brexit secretary David Davis has offered a last minute olive branch to pro-EU rebels in a bid to secure victory in a critical vote on Theresa May’s EU withdrawal plans.

The cabinet minister sent a letter to rebels outlining how parliament would under existing arrangements have an adequate role in scrutinising Brexit, after weeks in which a significant number of Tory MPs have demanded more of a say.

But while some Conservative rebels seemed to have accepted Mr Davis’s overture and announced that they would not rebel, others claimed his letter had little meaning.

It comes moments before a crunch vote in the commons, which if lost could give parliament power over what happens in the event of no deal being agreed with the EU, seriously undermining Ms May’s authority.

The on-going row relates to whether or not, in the case of no deal being agreed with the EU, MPs would be allowed to “amend” the government’s plans – either to approve or reject them, or in some circumstances to actually direct them.

Rebels did look to have the numbers to defeat the government at the start of the week, but ministers launched an intense whipping exercise to pick some of the rebels off, and to convince pro-Brexit Labour MPs to back the government.

In a final bid to try and secure the win on Wednesday, Mr Davis sent a letter to Tory MPs underlining how existing arrangements would mean that parliament would have power to amend the government’s plans – but that a decision on it would be the commons speaker’s, John Bercow.

He wrote: “The government recognises that it is open for ministers and members of the house of commons to table motions on and debate matters of concern and that, as is the convention, parliamentary time will be approved.”

Even Mr Davis himself, who last week blocked a more substantial compromise, has said privately that his new letter is not much of a concession.

But for some rebels it indicated that there would be another opportunity after Wednesday to try and influence Ms May’s approach to Brexit.

Ex-cabinet minister Nicky Morgan said that the letter was “welcome” and that she would now back the government.

Even lead rebel Dominic Grieve said that he appreciated the government’s difficulties with dealing with the issue at hand, and said that the letter was assurance enough for him that parliament’s role would not be overlooked.

But other rebels were not convinced, with Anna Soubry suggesting that Mr Davis was simply “dancing on the head of a pin”.

The whole row was sparked by the Lords last month passing a plan to give parliament power to direct Ms May’s actions if she failed to seal a Brexit deal later this year, meaning it would be unlikely she could take the UK out of Europe with no deal.

Ms May was set to lose a vote on that plan in the Commons last Tuesday, which would have made it law, and had also rejected a compromise from Mr Grieve – but in a last-minute move that saw her avoid a major defeat, she met pro-EU rebels and promised to bring forward her own compromise proposals.

The MPs left the meeting believing parliament would at least be given power to approve or reject her approach in the event no deal is reached with the EU, but what was published earlier this week gave them no binding vote.

With the issue back in the commons this week, whips were determined not to give more ground to avoid a defeat, with Mr Davis’s letter constituting their final bid at a compromise.

The critical vote on the issue will takes place on Wednesday afternoon.