Guto Bebb: Tories 'may as well vote for the Brexit Party'

Conservatives "might as well vote for the Brexit Party" in the next general election, Tory MP Guto Bebb has said.

Mr Bebb has been MP for Aberconwy since 2010, but resigned as a minister as he wanted to endorse a further EU referendum.

He will stand down at the next election and said "centrists" are turning their back on the party.

No. 10 is expected to seek a general election if a bid to stop a no-deal Brexit proceeds on Tuesday.

Pontypridd Labour MP Owen Smith said a general election now would "probably" give the Tories a majority.

Officials have warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson will ask Parliament for a General Election for 14 October if rebel Tories join Labour MPs in taking control of Parliament.

Most Welsh MPs, including Mr Bebb and Mr Smith, are to join the effort.

Mr Johnson has consistently said the country will leave on that date "do or die" and attempts in parliament were just making it more difficult for him to get a better deal.

The role of Downing Street's special adviser Dominic Cummings was also attacked by both MPs.

Mr Cummings was appointed as one of the prime minister's key advisers in July.

The Oxford-educated 47-year-old was previously an adviser to cabinet member Michael Gove and campaign director for Vote Leave during the EU referendum.

Speaking to BBC Radio Cymru's Post Cyntaf programme, Mr Bebb said: "Under the leadership of Dominic Cummings who claims he isn't the prime minister but of course it's Dominic Cummings and not Boris Johnson who's the prime minister at the moment.

"What we are seeing is the centrists turning their backs and if you wanted to vote for the Conservative party in the next election you might as well vote for The Brexit Party."

Pontypridd MP Mr Smith told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast it was "absolutely right" for Parliament to try to stop a 31 October crash-out from the EU.

He said negotiations with the EU "are a sham", adding: "The only truth that is worth broadcasting is that Johnson and Cummings clearly decided to try and set up an election in which they pose, completely implausibly given their backgrounds, as representatives of the people and try and cast parliament as somehow representative of the elite."

Mr Smith said Mr Cummings "is running the country right now", adding: We have now got a bloke who has not been elected by anyone who isn't apparently a member of the Tory party and who is entirely dictating the future of our country."

Despite Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn saying the UK "needs" a General Election, Mr Smith said he would not back one.

Any general election would need a vote in Parliament to make it happen. One Labour frontbencher has said his party will not back a general election before Brexit.

"At the moment Labour are on average 8% behind in the poll," he said.

" I have been very clear for the past three years that I don't think Labour is well served by having Jeremy Corbyn as our leader and I think we will struggle to win the next election.

"And therefore the responsible thing to do is to understand that voting for an election right now certainly gives Boris Johnson that hard Brexit he wants."

He said an election would "probably" give the Tories a majority.

David Davies, a Brexit supporting Conservative MP for Monmouth, said it was hard for him to see how opposition MPs could justify voting against a general election..

"It looks very likely that if they take control of the order paper Boris will give the people a fourth opportunity to show their support for Brexit," he said.

"I think it's appalling that only six members of Parliament out of 40 in Wales are prepared to back Brexit properly when Wales actually voted to leave.

"People can see who's supporting Wales here, and who's standing up for Wales."