Johnny Mercer becomes 104th Tory MP to come out against Theresa May's Brexit deal as crushing defeat looms

The list of Tory MPs opposed to Theresa May’s Brexit deal has risen to 104, signalling a heavy defeat for the Prime Minister next week.

Johnny Mercer, a former Army officer who is tipped as a potential future leader of the party, is set to tell MPs that the Brexit deal on the table ‘is not good enough’, according to The Sun.

The paper states that Mr Mercer, who voted Remain, will tell the Commons: ‘Politics is ultimately about the people.

‘You cannot promise them that no PM would sign anything that treated Northern Ireland differently, and then do just that.

‘You cannot philosophise about free trade deals and then concede none are possible the moment we leave, as this agreement currently stands.

‘And chiefly you cannot sign up to making the UK a junior partner in a relationship they cannot unilaterally leave.’

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He added that for Mrs May to try to force through the deal ‘speaks to a democratic deficit that I have always spoke out against, and must now oppose in the lobbies’.

Mrs May indicated this morning that MPs could decided if the controversial Northern Ireland backstop is triggered.

The PM hinted that Parliament would choose between triggering the backstop or extending a transition period after the UK formally quits the EU.

The move is likely to be seen as a bid to bolster flagging support ahead of a crunch Commons vote on her EU withdrawal deal next Tuesday – a showdown the PM made clear she would not postpone.

Mrs May told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘There will be a choice between, if we get to that point, a choice between going into the backstop and extending the transition period.’

Asked if she would be happy for Parliament to adjudicate on whether to go into the backstop or extend implementation, the PM said: ‘I think people are concerned about the role of the UK in making these decisions.

‘And, the obvious, in terms of the UK, is for it to be Parliament that makes these decisions.’

The backstop, intended to prevent the return of a hard border in Northern Ireland, is highly controversial as Brexiteer MPs claim it traps the UK into obeying rules set by Brussels without a say over them.

The Government insists it aims to conclude a comprehensive trade deal with the EU before a backstop arrangement would be needed.

Mrs May’s comments came as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) insisted it will withdraw support for her Government if the Prime Minister presses ahead with the Brexit deal with the EU.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he believed the Brexit agreement on offer is the ‘best option available’ in ensuring a ‘smooth exit’.