Richard Drax apologises for voting for Theresa May's deal

Tory MP Richard Drax. Photograph: House of Commons. - Credit: Archant

Tory Brexiteer MP Richard Drax has told the House of Commons he ‘made the wrong call’ by voting for Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

Drax said Theresa May must resign if she cannot deliver Brexit, and said he should have trusted his instincts ‘and those of the British people’ when he voted on the withdrawal agreement.

Addressing the House of Commons, Drax said: ‘I made the wrong call on Friday.

‘If the prime minister cannot commit to taking us out of the EU on the 12th of April, she must resign immediately. This is no longer about leave or remain. That was decided in 2016. This is about the future of our great country.’

He continued: ‘I do not feel I have misled the House, but I do feel I have not been true to myself.

‘Although doing what I believed to be in the country’s best interests at that moment in time, I quickly realised that I should not have voted with the government on Friday afternoon.’

He apologised to his ‘friends and colleagues in the DUP’, and said the government’s deal could have risked the ‘integrity’ of the country.

He added: ‘The withdrawal agreement as it stands must never ever see the light of day again.

‘Spring is here. Time for a new start for us all. Let’s take our country back in 11 days’ time and fulfil our honourable duty.’