PM could see mass walkout as three senior ministers signal they're ready to ...

Cabinet 'No Deal' revolt: PM facing prospect of a mass walkout after three senior ministers signal they are ready to help force a delay to Brexit Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark claim they're prepared to defy the PM Writing in the Daily Mail, they warn No Deal departure would wreck the economy And are prepared to force Mrs May to extend Article 50 or delay Britain’s EU exit  They say it remains their hope Parliament agrees a deal ‘in the next few days’ 

By Simon Walters for the Daily Mail

Published: 21:30 GMT, 22 February 2019 | Updated: 21:33 GMT, 22 February 2019

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Theresa May is facing the prospect of a Cabinet walkout after three senior ministers signalled they are ready to help force a delay to Brexit to stop a ‘disastrous’ No Deal.

Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark today make clear they are prepared to defy the Prime Minister unless there is a Parliamentary breakthrough on her deal next week.

Writing in the Daily Mail, the trio publicly serve notice that if hardline Tory Brexiteers in the European Research Group scupper a deal they will back other MPs to try to force Mrs May to extend Article 50 and delay Britain’s exit from the EU.

Amber Rudd (pictured), David Gauke and Greg Clark today make clear they are prepared to defy the Prime Minister unless there is a Parliamentary breakthrough on her deal next week

Amber Rudd (pictured), David Gauke and Greg Clark today make clear they are prepared to defy the Prime Minister unless there is a Parliamentary breakthrough on her deal next week

But the trio (Greg Clark is pictured) make it clear they will not shrink from flouting her authority if her deal is blocked again next week – adding that this will mean there is no time to stop a ‘disastrous No Deal’ exit

In their joint article, the Cabinet ministers (David Gauke is pictured) warn a No Deal departure would wreck the economy, put the defence of the realm in jeopardy and risk the break-up of the UK

But the trio (Greg Clark is pictured left and David Gauke is right) make it clear they will not shrink from flouting her authority if her deal is blocked again next week – adding that this will mean there is no time to stop a ‘disastrous No Deal’ exit

In their joint article, the Cabinet ministers warn a No Deal departure would wreck the economy, put the defence of the realm in jeopardy and risk the break-up of the UK. They say it remains their hope that Parliament agrees a deal ‘in the next few days’.

But they add: ‘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 parliamentary colleagues in the ERG recognised 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.’

The move comes at the end of an extraordinary week which saw three Tory Remainer MPs quit the party to join eight ex-Labour MPs in a breakaway Independent Group.

Unless Parliament votes through a Brexit deal before Wednesday, MPs are likely to be asked to vote this week on a motion that would effectively take No Deal off the table and force the Prime Minister to seek a Brexit delay.

Sarah Wollaston, Anna Soubry and Heidi Allen held a press conference (pictured from left) to explain their historic defection out of the Tories and into the new Independent Group today 

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