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Brexit news latest: Row erupts as cabinet ministers warn they will delay UK’s exit from EU to stop no-deal

A row has erupted after three pro-EU cabinet ministers publicly warned Tory Brexiteers that Parliament will prevent them forcing a "disastrous" no-deal break with the EU.

Amber Rudd, Greg Clark and David Gauke said Brexiteers in the European Research Group (ERG) will only have themselves to blame if Britain's departure from the EU is delayed.

Writing in the Daily Mail, the ministers said it was clear a majority of MPs would support an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process rather than see no-deal.

Andrew Bridgen, a member of the pro-Brexit ERG, insisted they should resign because they were rejecting government policy in breach of cabinet collective responsibility.

Pro-Brexit Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen called for the cabinet ministers to resign (AFP/Getty Images)
Pro-Brexit Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen called for the cabinet ministers to resign (AFP/Getty Images)

"What they are actually saying is that they are rejecting collective responsibility of being in government, they are rejecting government policy and they are threatening to vote against government policy next week," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"In that case, they should do the honourable thing and resign from the government immediately."

He accused Downing Street of orchestrating their actions in an attempt to pressurise Tory Brexiteers into backing Theresa May's withdrawal agreement.

"I think this is partly organised by No 10... to try to bully Brexit-supporting MPs into supporting the withdrawal agreement. I am afraid this is not going to work," he said.

Nick Boles welcomed the intervention of the ministers (EPA)
Nick Boles welcomed the intervention of the ministers (EPA)

However Conservative former minister Nick Boles, who is backing moves to delay Brexit if there is no-deal, welcomed the intervention of the three ministers.

"I think it is courageous and it is principled, and I applaud them for doing it," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

He said that if Tory Brexiteers continued to vote against the withdrawal agreement they would end up with a "softer" Brexit.

"If we don't vote for this deal we are going to end up with a softer Brexit deal, which I would prefer but I can't believe members of the ERG would prefer it," he said.

"They just need to wake up to reality. Parliament will only accept this deal or a softer deal and it will not accept leaving without a deal. Some of them may prefer to live without a deal but it is not going to happen."

The Prime Minister has repeatedly insisted Britain will leave on March 29 as planned.

In their letter, Ms Rudd, Mr Clark and Mr Gauke said leaving the EU without an agreement in place with Brussels would weaken national security, "severely" damage the economy, and risk the break-up of the United Kingdom.

They said: "If there is no breakthrough in the coming week, the balance of opinion in Parliament is clear - that it would be better to seek to extend Article 50 and delay our date of departure rather than crash out of the European Union on March 29.

"It is time that many of our Conservative party colleagues in the ERG recognise that Parliament will stop a disastrous no-deal Brexit on March 29.

"If that happens, they will have no-one to blame but themselves for delaying Brexit."