Theresa May faces calls to kick Lord Heseltine out of the Tory party after he said Brexit will be worse for the UK than a Corbyn Labour Government

  • Lord Heseltine warned he would try his best to stop Brexit by 'any means' at hand
  • The former deputy PM said Remainer Tories were considering leaving the party
  • His comments sparked calls from Lord Tebbit to strip him of the Tory whip

Lord Heseltine should be stripped of the Tory whip for suggesting Brexit could be more damaging to the country than a Corbyn government, one of his former Cabinet colleagues said last night.

Lord Tebbit, who served alongside Lord Heseltine under Margaret Thatcher, backed a call for Theresa May to put an end to the die-hard Remainer’s ‘sniping from inside the tent’.

The Europhile former deputy prime minister has caused uproar within the party for claiming leaving the EU could have a worse long-term effect than Labour taking power.

The Bow Group think-tank, whose patrons include Lord Tebbit, Lord Lamont, John Redwood and Ann Widdecombe, demanded he lose the Tory whip in the Lords.

Tory grandee Lord Heseltine has suggested Brexit could be more damaging to the country than a Corbyn government

Tory grandee Lord Heseltine has suggested Brexit could be more damaging to the country than a Corbyn government

Chair Ben Harris-Quinney said: ‘Heseltine has made clear it is his aim to prevent Brexit at all costs, including the sabotage of his own party and nation, the Conservative Party must therefore withdraw the whip and end the inevitable continuation of his sniping from inside the tent.’

Lord Tebbit, the former Tory chairman, said: ‘The Bow Group is absolutely right to make this call and I think the whip should be withdrawn.’

Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski MP said: ‘His indifference towards hard working new Conservative MPs who have won marginal seats against all odds at the last election, especially in Scotland, is breathtaking.

‘His lack of respect and loyalty towards the Conservative Party is deeply regrettable.’

Mr Harris-Quinney added: ‘The Brexit negotiations cannot be led by a Conservative Government that allows outright sabotage to go unaddressed within its own ranks.

‘There should absolutely be room for Conservative politicians to disagree with the Government's approach to Brexit.

'But for a member to be invested in bringing a Corbyn lead government into power in order to ignore the democratic will of the people in voting for Brexit cannot be tolerated by any party or government who wishes to be taken seriously and maintain parliamentary discipline.

‘Michael Heseltine is best known for bringing down the Thatcher Government, his career is a litany of traitorous and self-serving practices, that he is able to continue to do such things in senility only draws attention to the weakness of the Government and embarrasses it at home and abroad.’

Lord Tebbit, who served alongside Lord Heseltine under Margaret Thatcher, backed a call for Theresa May to put an end to the die-hard Remainer’s ‘sniping from inside the tent’.

Lord Tebbit, who served alongside Lord Heseltine under Margaret Thatcher, backed a call for Theresa May to put an end to the die-hard Remainer’s ‘sniping from inside the tent’.

Lord Heseltine has long been one of his party's most vociferous Europhiles. He walked out of Margaret Thatcher's Cabinet in 1986 following a row over Europe. Later he became a prominent supporter of joining the euro.

Since the referendum he has repeatedly called for the result to be reversed.

Mrs May sacked Lord Heseltine from several advisory roles, including as a national infrastructure commissioner, after he led a revolt in the Lords against the Government's Brexit agenda in March.  

Lord Heseltine warned he would try his best to stop Brexit by 'any means' at hand – whether it be a second referendum or a vote in the Lords.

And the former deputy PM said many pro-Remain Tories were considering leaving the party as Mrs May's insistence on driving through Brexit made them question their loyalty to the 'tribe'. 

Lord Heseltine also claimed Brexit would become 'more unpopular as people realise what it's all about'. 

'If you look at the polls there is probably a bigger majority against Brexit than the referendum secured but that, I think, will continue to happen,' he told the Limehouse podcast.

'I think a second referendum would be a vehicle for ending Brexit, but personally I would rather Parliament to do it – either if this present parliament became hostile or because in an election the issue was rethought and a subsequent parliament did it. My preoccupation is ending Brexit.'

Jeremy's Christmas: A really good apple juice followed by a four mile jog 

His policies may centre on lavish spending, but when it comes to Christmas Jeremy Corbyn prefers a more austere approach.

As a vegetarian, the 68-year-old avoided a traditional Christmas roast while, as his wife Laura Alvarez is Mexican, the family celebrated on Christmas Eve before a low-key December 25.

Mr Corbyn said that he starts Christmas Day off as he usually does – with a glass of apple juice. 

But he told political website Politico: 'On Christmas Day, I make sure it is a particularly good one.'

After that, he said he likes to go for a three- or four-mile run on Christmas morning. 

He told the Daily Mirror that, as he goes through London parks, he often sees swimmers taking a Christmas morning dip.

He said: 'They said do you fancy joining in, I said, 'No no no.'

In comments Tory Europhiles could see as a further disloyalty to Theresa May, the prominent Remainer said leaving the EU could have a worse long-term effect than Labour taking power

In comments Tory Europhiles could see as a further disloyalty to Theresa May, the prominent Remainer said leaving the EU could have a worse long-term effect than Labour taking power

Labour is a 'nightmare for business' 

A Labour Government led by Jeremy Corbyn is a 'nightmarish' prospect for business that could wreck the economy, a senior manufacturing lobbyist has warned.

Terry Scuoler, retiring head of the Engineering Employers' Federation, said firms should not trust the 'charm offensive' mounted by the party's hard-Left leadership.

The 67-year-old, whose association represents 20,000 businesses in the manufacturing and engineering industries, said Labour pledges to seize control of railways, water firms, energy companies and Royal Mail would be just the start of a programme of 'widespread nationalisation'. 

He added: 'There are a number of policy initiatives which are likely to be the thin end of a hardline socialist wedge.'

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell – who claims to have the backing of some senior City figures – has pledged to borrow £250billion over a decade for investing. 

Ahead of June's election, Labour pledged to hike corporation tax from 19 per cent to 26.

Josh Hardie, deputy director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, has said: 'If to fund some of these things, business is seen as a bottomless pit, that will damage growth and investment.

'If the idea is that it can all be paid for by excessive borrowing and punitive taxation, they need to understand what the impact will be on investment and growth.'

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