The stalemate over Brexit cost Steve Baker his mental health, he said as he hailed the deal struck by Rishi Sunak on Monday.
Mr Baker, the Northern Ireland Office minister, opened up about the impact of years of infighting over the EU and admitted the revised treaty had left him “emotional”.
One of the most prominent Brexiteers, he was an arch-critic of Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement and voted against it three times in the Commons alongside his fellow ‘Spartan’ Conservative MPs.
However, he has struck a conciliatory tone since becoming a frontbencher last year and hailed Mr Sunak’s revised agreement as an “extraordinary opportunity” for Northern Ireland.
In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Mr Baker said: “Seven years of this cost me my mental health. The beard, the jewellery is about me and my recovery.
“In November 2021, I had a major mental health crisis – anxiety and depression. I couldn’t go on. People couldn’t tell [and] I made a big keynote in the afternoon.
“But make no mistake, holding these tigers by the tail – Brexit, Covid Recovery Group, Net Zero Scrutiny Group, the tax stuff we did with Conservative Way Forward – took its toll, we’re all only human.”
Mr Baker was among the Tory backbenchers who defied the Government over lockdown regulations during the pandemic, and last year said Britain could not afford its net zero ambitions “in the short run”.
He said the way he had “led rebellions” in the parliamentary party was something “no one should have to do”. He was also one of the first handful of MPs to tell Boris Johnson “the gig’s up” in the wake of the partygate scandal.
“This is an important moment for me personally, because I can authentically say ‘he’s done it’,” Mr Baker said on Monday night.
“If only everybody will read the text and think seriously about what an amazing achievement this is, what an incredible opportunity it provides for the whole of Northern Ireland and actually for the whole of Europe to move beyond this awful populism we’ve suffered…
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“Just be sensible and grown-up, and do the right thing by 1.9 million people. And the ripple effects for everybody else – you bet I’m emotional. Because this bookends a seven-year chapter of my life that I will be glad to close.”
Earlier, Mr Baker told Channel 4 News it was a “great moment” for the Conservatives to acknowledge the Protocol deal struck by Mr Johnson had been “unfinished business”.
“Every reasonable unionist and eurosceptic can say ‘this is a great result’. And I hope that will include Boris, and I think the statesmanlike thing for Boris to do now would be to embrace this.
“You know, personally, as someone who’s supported and opposed him, I’ll be watching very closely to see what he does. But one thing I can be sure of is I’m going to do what I think is right for the country at all times, and that means backing this deal.”
Mr Sunak will now address a meeting of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers on Tuesday afternoon, which will be followed by a meeting of the European Research Group (ERG) caucus of Brexiteer MPs.
In the Commons on Monday evening, criticism of his deal was muted and the agreement was largely welcomed by his party as the Prime Minister sought to end years of internal strife over Britain’s future relationship with the European Union.