Brexit delay: Tory minister says taking part in EU elections would be ‘suicide note’ for party

Children’s minister Nadhim Zahawi warns that long delay to Brexit would be ‘existential threat’ to Conservatives

A government minister has warned Theresa May that the UK taking part in European parliament elections in May would be “the suicide note of the Conservative Party”.

Nadhim Zahawi, the children’s minister, said a delay to Brexit beyond 23 May – the date elections are due to be held – would be an “existential threat” to the Tories.

It comes with discussions between the government and Labour likely continue in a bid to find cross-party agreement for a way forward. Having failed to reach a consensus on a compromise Brexit deal, the parties are expected to try to agree a series of options that will be put to votes in the Commons next week.

Ms May will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to request a further extension to the Article 50 period with the two sides split over the length of the possible delay. The EU is expected to propose a one-year extension, while the prime minister wants to delay Brexit only until 30 June.

Mr Zahawi said it was crucial that the UK was not still in the bloc when European parliament elections take place, warning that failure to deliver Brexit would “unleash forces in politics” that would take both the UK and the EU “into a very bad place”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “If we can’t get Labour to agree I think it’s important that parliament acts quickly now to decide what it is in favour of – whether it is through some voting mechanism where we have a single transferable vote and we vote on all the different deals.

“We need to do that quickly because I think going into the EU elections for the Conservative Party, or indeed for the Labour Party, and telling our constituents why we haven’t been able to deliver Brexit I think would be an existential threat.

“I would go further and say it would be the suicide note of the Conservative Party.”

He added: “I hope that will not be the case. The prime minister is determined to get us out by 22 May and she is doing everything in her power with her team to hopefully allow parliament to decide what option it will support.”

The minister said a longer extension of the sort likely to be proposed by the EU would not be ”viable”, adding: “We would be effectively breaking our promise to the British people and I think the democratic damage that would do would be enormous.”

And in a stark warning to European leaders who are trying to force the UK to accept a long delay, he said: “Be careful what you wish for because you would unleash forces in politics, whether hard left or hard right, [and] none of us know where this ends up.

“They would be able to mobilise people by saying to them that your political elite, the mainstream parties, have let you down, they don’t listen to you and they don’t think your vote is important. I think we all need to be careful where we head with this.

“These forces are already mobilising and I think it’s important that we all come together now and get a withdrawal agreement in place that allows the United Kingdom to leave in an orderly way.”

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, is reported to have drawn up plans for a one-year delay to Brexit with the option of the UK leaving the EU earlier if parliament ratifies a withdrawal agreement.

With MPs still deadlocked over a way forward, that would likely involve the UK taking part in EU elections on 23 May.

Ms May, however, is seeking a shorter delay that could see the UK participate in the elections but leave the EU before the new European parliament sits in July.

Writing to Mr Tusk on Friday to request a further delay to Brexit, she said: “The United Kingdom proposes that this period should end on 30 June 2019. If the parties are able to ratify before this date, the government proposes that the period should be terminated early.

“The government will want to agree a timetable for ratification that allows the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union before 23 May 2019 and therefore cancel the European parliament elections, but will continue to make responsible preparations to hold the elections.”