Theresa May battles Brexiteer backlash amid disquiet over Chequers deal

Brexit-backing MPs have been urged to get behind Theresa May, as she contends with a backlash against her plan for Britain's future relationship with the European Union.

Michael Gove admitted the agreement thrashed out after a marathon day of talks on Friday was not everything he had hoped for, but the environment secretary said he was a "realist" and recognised the need for compromise.

Despite talk of potential resignations ahead of the Brexit showdown, Mrs May's cabinet signed up to the proposals, which will now be set out in full in a white paper presented to parliament this coming week.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson reportedly described defending the plans as like "polishing a turd" during the Chequers summit, before eventually falling into line behind the PM.

While full details of Mrs May's plan have yet to be revealed, backbench Brexiteers are struggling to digest what has been published thus far.

The disquiet has sparked speculation some Conservative MPs could submit formal letters calling for a leadership contest, with 48 being the requisite number.

Mr Gove - a key figure in the 2016 Leave campaign - said it was a "perfect balance" between the need for close access to Europe and allowing the services industry to diverge from EU rules and regulations.

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "...I'm a realist and one of the things about politics is you mustn't, you shouldn't make the perfect the enemy of the good.

"One of the things about this compromise is that it unites the cabinet."

He added: "All those of us who believe that we want to execute a proper Brexit, and one that is the best deal for Britain, have an opportunity now to get behind the prime minister in order to negotiate that deal."

Mr Gove said the onus was now on Brussels to be flexible, with Britain stepping up preparations to show it can walk away from the negotiations without a deal if necessary in March 2019.

Quizzed about claims his cabinet colleague used colourful language to describe what was on the table at Chequers, Tory party chairman Brandon Lewis told Sky News: "It is very easy to take what can sometimes be seen as a joke in a particular conversation somewhat out of context and make a story out of it."

In an interview with Sophy Ridge on Sunday he added: "The reality is Boris and all of us came to an agreement about a strong package that we think is good for the UK economy (and) delivers what the Brexit vote was about in 2016."

A meeting involving the PM and Tory MPs on Monday evening will provide an indication of the strength of feeling in Mrs May's party.

All the indications are that it will be a stormy gathering.

Veteran eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash told Sky News: "There are a lot of questions in here, there is a lot of unhappiness, there is a great deal of concern that we are saying that we leave - it's not 'to be or not to be' it's 'to leave or not to leave'.

"The question is how do you leave and is this going to be a proper Brexit? There will be a massive discussion about all this."

Sir Bill said he had not penned a letter calling for a leadership contest, but ominously noted: "If people were to decide to put in those letters you only need 48."

Fellow backbencher Andrew Bridgen was far more forthright, saying he would not back the deal even "if the EU were paying us".

"I can't support the offer which emerged at Chequers - I think it's a breach of the red lines, in fact the offer is so poor that I couldn't support it even if the EU were paying us for it," he said.

"Obviously if the government and the prime minister continue to support that very poor offer then I won't have any confidence in the government or the prime minister."

Mr Brigden said he would "listen to what the prime minister has got to say on Monday evening at the 1922 committee" before deciding how to act.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said Jacob Rees-Mogg was now the only credible challenger to Mrs May, after Brexiteer cabinet ministers failed to oppose the PM's plan.