Editing Kenneth Clarke (section)

===Return to the backbenches===
Clarke was opposed to [[Brexit]] during the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 referendum]] on the United Kingdom's continued [[Accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities|membership of the European Union]], and opposed the [[European Union Referendum Act 2015|holding of the referendum]] in the first place.<ref name="thespectatorwhichtorympsbackbrexit">{{cite news |last=Goodenough |first=Tom |title=Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence? |url= http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/02/which-tory-mps-back-brexit-who-doesnt-and-who-is-still-on-the-fence/ |access-date=11 October 2016 |work=The Spectator |location= London |date=16 February 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190502030758/https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/02/which-tory-mps-back-brexit-who-doesnt-and-who-is-still-on-the-fence/ |archive-date=2 May 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was the sole Conservative MP to vote against the triggering of [[Article 50]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2016/dec/07/brexit-debate-plan-labour-pmqs-call-for-government-to-publish-its-brexit-plan-politics-live |title=MPs vote to demand Brexit plan and say article 50 should be triggered by end March |first=Andrew |last=Sparrow |date=7 December 2016 |work=The Guardian |location= London |access-date=7 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207211038/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2016/dec/07/brexit-debate-plan-labour-pmqs-call-for-government-to-publish-its-brexit-plan-politics-live?page=with:block-584856cfe4b08659393b9dfc#block-584856cfe4b08659393b9dfc. |archive-date=7 December 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the [[2016 Conservative Party leadership election|2016 Conservative leadership election]] Clarke was interviewed by Sky News on 5 July 2016 and made negative comments to Sir Malcolm Rifkind,<ref>{{cite news |title=Ken Clarke caught on camera ridiculing Conservative leadership candidates – but Sky News face backlash after releasing footage |date=5 July 2016 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/05/ken-clarke-caught-on-camera-ridiculing-conservative-leadership-c/ |newspaper=The Telegraph |location= London |access-date=5 July 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160705140802/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/05/ken-clarke-caught-on-camera-ridiculing-conservative-leadership-c/ |archive-date=5 July 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> about the "fiasco" (leadership contest) and about three of the candidates. In a widely circulated video clip, he referred to [[Theresa May]] as a "bloody difficult woman", joked that [[Michael Gove]], who was "wild", would "go to war with at least three countries at once" and characterised some of the utterances of [[Andrea Leadsom]] as "extremely stupid". Clarke added that Gove "did us all a favour by getting rid of Boris. The idea of Boris as [[prime minister]] is ridiculous."<ref>{{cite news |title= Ken Clarke caught on camera ridiculing Conservative leadership candidates |last1= Mason |first1= Rowena |last2= Asthana |first2= Anushka |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/05/ken-clarke-caught-camera-ridiculing-tory-leadership-candidates-theresa-may-michael-gove |newspaper= The Guardian |location= London |date= 5 July 2016 |access-date= 12 December 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161216010133/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/05/ken-clarke-caught-camera-ridiculing-tory-leadership-candidates-theresa-may-michael-gove |archive-date= 16 December 2016 |url-status= live }}</ref>

In February 2017, following the death of [[Gerald Kaufman]], Clarke succeeded as [[Father of the House (United Kingdom)|Father of the House]], continuing after his re-election as an MP at the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]].

In December 2017, Clarke voted along with fellow Conservative [[Dominic Grieve]] and nine other Conservative MPs against the government, and in favour of guaranteeing Parliament a "[[Meaningful vote#Alteration of Clause 9|meaningful vote]]" on any [[Brexit]] deal Britain agrees with the European Union.<ref name="Independent_Austin">{{cite news |last=Austin |first=Henry |title=Brexit vote: The 11 Tory rebel MPs who defeated the Government |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-vote-tory-mps-rebel-theresa-may-government-defeat-who-were-they-list-a8108776.html |work=The Independent |location= London |date=13 December 2017 |access-date=19 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180619213817/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-vote-tory-mps-rebel-theresa-may-government-defeat-who-were-they-list-a8108776.html |archive-date=19 June 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Clarke endorsed [[Rory Stewart]] during the [[2019 Conservative Party leadership election|2019 Conservative leadership election]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/09/tory-leadership-contest-where-do-things-stand |title=Tory leadership contest: where do things stand? |last=Walker |first=Peter |date=9 June 2019 |work=The Guardian |location= London |access-date=10 June 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190609233917/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/09/tory-leadership-contest-where-do-things-stand |archive-date=9 June 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 2019, after Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson lost a number of key votes in the House of Commons, Clarke stated that it would be "not inconceivable" for him to become Prime Minister leading a [[National Government (United Kingdom)|government of national unity]] in order to revoke Article 50 and prevent Brexit. Other politicians who were suggested for such a role at the time included [[Harriet Harman]], his female counterpart as Mother of the House of Commons. Lib Dem leader [[Jo Swinson]] supported the proposal, though [[Boris Johnson]] and [[Jeremy Corbyn]], the [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]], both dismissed the suggestion.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49372525 |title=Clarke: I wouldn't rule out becoming PM |date=16 August 2019 |work=BBC News |access-date=22 August 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190821235649/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49372525 |archive-date=21 August 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> As it turned out, a vote of no-confidence was not in fact tabled against Boris Johnson's government and no such government of national unity was formed or took office.