Over 50 Tory MPs ready to defy no-deal Brexit: Tory MP

A former cabinet minister told The Independent on Sunday that the Tories would thwart the PM if she decides to push ahead with of a “no deal” Brexit in case EU talks fail.

“There are at least 50 Conservative MPs who would be prepared to vote to stop it happening, which would be more than enough to force the government to take notice,” the unnamed ex-minister vowed.

The warning comes amid growing concerns that May would insist on leaving without any agreement despite warnings by her own government officials about potential food and medicine shortages and huge tailbacks at the UK’s borders.

Earlier this month, she was able to talk her way past a Tory revolt in the parliament that sought a “meaningful vote” to block no deal Brexit. May has so far been able to enforce her mantra that “Parliament cannot tie the hands of government in negotiations.”

Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, infuriated governmnet critics over the weekend after insisting that “no deal remained an option.

“We've got to be free in the negotiation to say if we don't get the deal we want, there won't be any agreement,” he told Sky News.

Meanwhile, 60 politicians and business figures, including former chancellor Nigel Lawson, vocal Brexiteer John Redwood, and Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin, have written a letter to May asking her to push forward with her plans.

They urged the government to speed up plans to switch to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, a decision that many businesses including Airbus say would be disastrous.

But the former Cabinet minister was confident that parliament would find a way to stop May if necessary.

“In the end, parliament will find a way to stop a no-deal Brexit happening if that’s what it takes, including Conservative MPs like myself,” they said.

Former British attorney general Dominic Grieve, who is also a rebel Tory MP, said this week that the rebellion could bring down the government if May insisted on her no deal threat.