About 10 MPs are plotting to resign from the Tory Government because “death by a thousand cuts isn’t working” – suggesting that Mrs May has not yet been fazed by previous resignations. The walkout is in protest against Mrs May’s meeting with Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn and amid fears the Prime Minister is to formally request a long extension to Article 50 to prevent a no deal Brexit.
Junior and mid-ranking Brexiteer ministers met at Andrea Leadsom’s office to discuss the mass walkout where ten said they were prepared to quit over Mrs May’s plans for a soft Brexit.
The meeting was attended by seven Cabinet ministers including Penny Mordaunt, Geoffrey Cox, Liz Truss, Jeremy Hunt, Andrea Leadsom, Gavin Williamson and Michael Gove.
A source told the Daily Telegraoph: “At the moment, everyone wants to deliver Brexit on May 22.
“If we get into the territory of ‘there is no Brexit on May 22’, you’ll find many colleagues will be clearing their desks.
READ MORE: How did we end up in this Brexit mess?
“If we don’t leave by May 22 it will be hugely problematic. For some it is breaking the manifesto pledge. Within that, how do you explain to your constituents that you are still in Europe and you are having to put candidates forward? It will be very difficult to hold the Conservative Party together.”
”If we don’t deliver on Brexit we will fracture very badly.”
Prime Minister Theresa May faces a crucial week in the Brexit process as she seeks breakthroughs at home and abroad.
Top-level talks aimed at finding a way out of the Brexit deadlock will continue between the Government and Labour on Friday.
The discussions are taking place as Mrs May faces a week of hectic diplomacy as she battles to keep her EU withdrawal agenda on track amid reports Brussels officials are considering offering the PM a flexible extension – or “flextension” – to the Article 50 timetable.
Mrs May has written to European Council president Donald Tusk on Friday with the UK’s request for a further delay to Brexit.
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9.22am update: France hits out at plans for extension
A source close to Macron said an alternative Brexit plan has to be given by the UK before the EU can grant an extension. He said London needs to provide a clear plan by Tuesday.
9.11am update: Civil servants offered counselling over Brexit
Civil servants were offered counselling – funded by the tax payer – to help them cope with the stress of Brexit, it has emerged.
Staff working mainly on “emergency preparedness in case of a no deal scenario” had access to support from specialist support workers as part of contract with Gloucester-based employee assistance firm Care First.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spent £40,000 on counselling services for staff in London, York and Bristol, according to the BBC.
The care package ran alongside Defra’s in-house mental health services while the department made changes to its support programmes and ended on 31 January.
A Defra spokeswoman said the department was committed to the mental health, safety and well-being of its employees, and had “a range of services on offer to support staff’s mental health”.
8.57am update: May has written to EU to request extension
The letter said: “The United Kingdom proposes that this period should end on 30 June 2019.
“The government will want to agree a timetable for ratification that allows the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union before 23 May 2019 and therefore cancel the European Parliament elections, but will continue to make responsible preparations to hold the elections should this not prove possible.”
