Four pro-Brexit cabinet ministers could quit over Theresa May’s deal this week – as they hold crunch PIZZA summit tomorrow
FOUR Cabinet ministers could quit over Theresa May's Brexit plans this week - as they mull her deal over PIZZA tomorrow.
Mrs May could be hit with a wave of resignations this week if pro-Brexit Cabinet ministers decide they can't get behind her ideas.
On Tuesday the PM will hold another crunch meeting of her Cabinet, after a breakthrough failed last week at an emergency meeting.
And a so-called 'pizza club' will be held in Parliament tomorrow to discuss Brexit negotiations and their response to Mrs May's strategy, the Mail on Sunday reported.
One source said: "We have managed to keep it very secret. We slip into Andrea’s office and she orders eight or nine boxes of pizza from a place in Pimlico while we try to make sense of how to respect the result of the referendum and stay true to our beliefs without destabilising the entire Government".
Eleven members of the Cabinet are said to be unhappy with the PM's plans - and up to four could quit.
The news came as:
- Leaked documents showed that Britain has "already done" a secret deal with EU chiefs
- David Davis called for a cabinet uprising against Theresa May - saying it was "time for the cabinet to exert their authority"
- Boris Johnson trashed the PM's plans and said it would be as humiliating as the Suez crisis in the 80s
- Labour MPs including Caroline Flint said they could defy their party and vote for Mrs May's deal to avoid a No Deal situation
Ms Leadsom, along with DWP boss Esther McVey and aid secretary Penny Mordaunt are said to be the most unhappy with the PM's plans.
They aren't satisfied with plans to keep the UK in a Customs Union with the EU after Brexit in a backstop plan if Britain and the EU don't get a deal.
The Prime Minister has vowed it will be "temporary", but Brexiteers are pushing for a specific time limit so we can't get kept in by Brussels.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today that it would be "credibly time limited" but could not say whether it would include a definite date included too.
A source close to Ms Leadsom said: "She does not think we can be tied into a customs arrangement that stops us signing free trade deals with the rest of the world."
And Scottish Secretary David Mundell and Scots Tory boss Ruth Davidson have also said they could resign if Northern Ireland faces new controls - because it would fuel the case for Scottish independence.
Stewart Jackson, ex-chief of staff to former Brexit secretary David Davis, said it was “quite possible” another Cabinet minister could follow the example of his former boss and resign.
Election ready? Tory chiefs step up preparations for Christmas election if PM's Brexit plan rejected
TORY chiefs are stepping up their preparations for ANOTHER general election before Christmas - if Theresa May's Brexit deal is rejected by MPs.
Whips have threatened MPs with an early general election if they don't back the Prime Minister's agreement with Brussels.
But many fear it will allow Jeremy Corbyn to slip in to No10.
Last time Mrs May called a snap election she lost seats - and her majority in Parliament.
Insiders told The Sunday Times that No10 aides had been openly discussing election plans - and that extra canvassing has already been ordered in marginal seats.
One MP said: "I’ve had messages that show preparations are already taking place for an election."
Mr Davis wrote in today's Sunday Times that ministers should consider their positions in Government.
He wrote: "This is one of the most fundamental decisions that government has taken in modern times.
"It is time for the cabinet to exert their collective authority. This week the authority of our constitution is on the line.”
And MPs are said to have handed in more letters saying they have no confidence in the Prime Minister.
Several more were handed in to the chairman of the Tory 1922 committee in the past few weeks - and only four more could be needed to launch a vote of no confidence in the PM.
If she loses that vote, then a leadership challenge could be called.
Meanwhile, Labour MPs have today broken ranks to say they will back Mrs May's Chequers deal if it means avoiding a No Deal scenario.
Caroline Flint, along with fellow MPs Gareth Snell and Ruth Smeeth, said they could vote with the Government when the deal comes to Parliament.
Don Valley MP Ms Flint said today: “I believe if there is a reasonable deal that stops us crashing out with no deal, we shouldn’t rule it out.”
The Independent reports there could be up to 15 who would back the plans in the Commons.
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Last night a leaked memo revealed that a secret deal was already sealed - before the Cabinet had seen it.
It boasts: “Deal made, nothing made public (in theory).” It says the plan will be rubber-stamped by the Government... before being announced amid fanfares in Brussels.
But DUP boss Arlene Foster is said to think that a No Deal option is now the most likely option.
Leaked emails to the Observer say that she is "ready" for us to leave with no agreement with Brussels, after ongoing tussles over the Northern Irish border.
“AF [Arlene Foster] said the DUP were ready for a no-deal scenario, which she now believed was the likeliest one," they said.
However, No10 denied it was all wrapped up and negotiations were ongoing.
The PM faces a crunch EU summit with other leaders of the 27 nations later this week.
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