The British prime minister, Theresa May has been warned that she could face a revolt by members of the Conservative Party, should the UK steer towards a no-deal Brexit.
Leaders of the 100-strong Brexit Delivery Group wrote to chief whip, Julian Smith and set out widespread discontent over a no-deal prospect.
Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, is to have more talks next week with EU chief Michel Barnier.
Andrew Percy has said dozens of his colleagues are preparing to vote for measures to delay the EU withdrawal date, meaning May’s deal will be rejected by MPs yet again.
Percy said, “Some of my colleagues have got to recognise that the game they have thus far been playing with regards to this whole process is not going to end well for them and could potentially end with the delaying of, perhaps even no Brexit, which some of us have spent a lot of our parliamentary and political careers campaigning for.”
The Daily Telegraph first reported that Percy and fellow Brexit Delivery Group leader Simon Hart wrote, “Numerous members of our group have alerted us of their intention, should rejection of the deal look likely, to get behind amendments that are planned in the name of Oliver Letwin and others and which will have the twin effect of taking no deal off the table and delaying Brexit.
“It is also clear that members of our group are growing increasingly frustrated by the intransigence as they see it, of some of our colleagues, many of whom represent very safe seats and are thus unlikely to be unduly inconvenienced by all of this.
“Not only does this risk damaging the national interest, but also that by failing to accept the realities of parliamentary arithmetic we are putting in jeopardy the very thing many colleagues have spent decades campaigning for; our exit from the EU.
“It is this serious risk that is driving an increasing number of our group to consider other options such as the Letwin amendment.
“This is a development that should worry all of us who want to deliver Brexit, given that our group has, almost without exception, remained united behind voting for the prime minister’s deal.”
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