This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/mar/08/michael-heseltine-keep-opposing-brexit-disastrous-eu-referendum-lords
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Sacked Lord Heseltine vows to keep fighting 'disastrous' Brexit result | Sacked Lord Heseltine vows to keep fighting 'disastrous' Brexit result |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Michael Heseltine, the Conservative former deputy prime minister, has said he will continue the fight against leaving the EU after being sacked from his five government jobs for leading a Lords rebellion over Brexit. | Michael Heseltine, the Conservative former deputy prime minister, has said he will continue the fight against leaving the EU after being sacked from his five government jobs for leading a Lords rebellion over Brexit. |
| The Tory grandee said he had the right to keep opposing a policy he thought was wrong, just as the Brexiters would never have stopped fighting to leave the EU if the referendum result had gone the other way. | The Tory grandee said he had the right to keep opposing a policy he thought was wrong, just as the Brexiters would never have stopped fighting to leave the EU if the referendum result had gone the other way. |
| Lord Heseltine, 83, was sacked from his government advisory roles on Tuesday night after he gave a prominent speech in favour of giving parliament a veto over the outcome of Theresa May’s Brexit talks with Brussels. | |
| He said he was disappointed that the government would lose his expertise but revealed to the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme that he had not met May since she became prime minister. | He said he was disappointed that the government would lose his expertise but revealed to the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme that he had not met May since she became prime minister. |
| Explaining his decision to keep opposing Brexit, he said: “My preoccupation has been from the very beginning I believe the referendum result is the most disastrous peacetime result we have seen in this country.” | Explaining his decision to keep opposing Brexit, he said: “My preoccupation has been from the very beginning I believe the referendum result is the most disastrous peacetime result we have seen in this country.” |
| Heseltine said he had been “meticulous” in not speaking to the press since the referendum result but added: “The point comes in life that you have to do what I believe to be right. | |
| “I know these Brexiteers backwards. I have lived with them in government and opposition. They never give up. Why shouldn’t people like me argue in the other camp?” | “I know these Brexiteers backwards. I have lived with them in government and opposition. They never give up. Why shouldn’t people like me argue in the other camp?” |
| Former Conservative chief whip Mark Harper said later that it was “quite reasonable” to sack Heseltine for opposing government policy. | |
| Late on Tuesday, the House of Lords passed the Brexit bill, giving May the right to trigger article 50, after insisting on two changes: a guarantee of the rights of EU citizens to reside in the UK and a more meaningful parliamentary vote at the end of Brexit talks. | Late on Tuesday, the House of Lords passed the Brexit bill, giving May the right to trigger article 50, after insisting on two changes: a guarantee of the rights of EU citizens to reside in the UK and a more meaningful parliamentary vote at the end of Brexit talks. |
| Attention now switches to the Commons, where MPs will consider whether to keep or throw out the amendments. | Attention now switches to the Commons, where MPs will consider whether to keep or throw out the amendments. |
| A band of Tory MPs is pushing May to make concessions on giving parliament a more meaningful say at the end of the two-year negotiations. But the government has insisted it wants to overturn the Lords amendments, saying it would be against the national interest to tell EU countries that parliament would have a right of veto over any deal. | A band of Tory MPs is pushing May to make concessions on giving parliament a more meaningful say at the end of the two-year negotiations. But the government has insisted it wants to overturn the Lords amendments, saying it would be against the national interest to tell EU countries that parliament would have a right of veto over any deal. |