The Three Amigos open fire on May

Defectors slam Brexit strategy and ‘takeover’ of Tory party by the hard Right

STYLING themselves as the ‘three amigos’, a trio of Conservative MPs dramatically quit the party yesterday.

Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston blasted Theresa May’s Brexit strategy, ‘the anti-EU awkward squad’ and a nationally-orchestrated ‘Blukip’ Tory takeover.

Just two days after a group of Labour MPs quit their party to sit as independents, the three MPs followed suit – sending a dramatic letter to the Prime Minister at 11.25am to announce their decision to resign the Tory whip.

It came half an hour before Mrs May stood up in the Commons to take Prime Minister’s Questions, causing maximum impact and disruption.

In their joint letter, they warned that the party was in the grip of Brexit hardliners and said they would be joining the new Independent Group of MPs on the backbenches.

Then, as their former fellow Tory MPs filtered into the chamber for PMQs, the three – all second referendum supporters – crossed to the other side of the House to sit with their new colleagues.

They took seats to the right of the Liberal Demo- crats, and alongside the Democratic Unionist Party, who looked at them quizzically as they grinned for a group selfie.

An hour later, the three Tory defectors gave an extraordinary joint press conference, which their eight new ‘Independent Group’ colleagues – who Mrs Allen nicknamed the Magnificent Seven and the Lone Ranger, after Joan Ryan quit on Tuesday – watched from the front row.

Describing the trio as the ‘ three amigos’, Mrs Allen, MP for South Cambridgeshire, said she had quit because she could no longer remain in a party because of concerns over Brexit and welfare reforms.

Mrs Allen, a member of the work and pensions select committee, said: ‘I can no longer represent a government and a party who can’t open their eyes to the suffering endured by the most vulnerable in society, suffering which we have deepened whilst having the power to fix.’

She warned that the Prime Minister had been ‘ bullied into submission’ by the european Research Group (eRG) and said the country was being dragged ‘kicking and screaming to the edge of a no Deal abyss’. Continuing with the criticism, Dr Wollaston, MP for Totnes, said Mrs May ‘hasn’t delivered on the pledges she made on the steps of Downing St to tackle burning injustices in society’.

‘I think that what we now see is the party, that was once the most trusted on the economy and business, is now marching us to the cliff- edge of a no Deal Brexit,’ she added.

Miss Soubry, the MP for Broxtowe, took to the stage after her to say that she had not changed her values, adding: ‘ I’m not leaving the Conservatives, they’ve left us.’ She also warned the battle for the Conservative Party was ‘over’ and said that the eRG had won the war.

‘As my friend – and he is my friend – Chuka Umunna said on Monday, you don’t join a political party to fight it and you don’t stay in it and skirmish on the margins when the truth is the battle is over and the other side has won,’ she said.

‘ The right wing, the hardline anti- eU awkward squad that have destroyed every leader for the last 40 years are now running the Conservative Party from top to toe. They are the Conservative Party.’

Their announcement yesterday followed weeks of rumour that MPs would quit to form a new centrist party. While both the Labour and Tory defectors admit to having spoken with each other about planning the future party, the three Tories said they’d been surprised by Monday’s split.

All members of the group said they had not expected Joan Ryan’s decision to join them on Tuesday evening.

Mrs Allen later said the decision to quit was taken as a ‘wake-up call’ to remind Mrs May she had to speak to all wings of the party.

Asked if there were any circumstances in which she could return to the party, she said no, adding: ‘If we do our jobs right, there won’t be a Tory party to go back to.’

As they appealed for like-minded colleagues from all parties to join them, Mrs Allen was asked about Tory MP Phillip Lee who was rumoured to have considered quitting. Asked if he could still quit, she said: ‘ Probably, possibly, maybe.’ She also mentioned former education secretary and second referendum supporter Justine Greening, adding: ‘ We love you Justine.’

Despite rumours in the press being rife that they would quit, the trio said they had not been contacted by Mrs May or her aides.

All three former Tory MPs lashed out at the ‘ entryism’ of the hard right into the Tory party which they branded ‘Blukip’ or the ‘purple momentum’.

Miss Soubry said: ‘ Overwhelmingly the majority of associations are being infiltrated by a nationally-orchestrated entryism, blatantly designed to remove rebel MPs who they label “traitors”.’ Mrs May said: ‘I am saddened by this decision – these are people who have given dedicated service to our party over many years, and I thank them for it.’

But she said she would continue to pursue a Brexit deal and said she was determined that under her leadership the party would offer ‘decent, moderate and patriotic politics’.

But Tory Monmouth MP, David Davies, called for them to face byelections, tweeting: ‘We know how strongly you feel about a People’s vote. We are looking forward to you holding one in your constituencies.’

However, party chairman Brandon Lewis said that none of the Tory MPs local associations had initiated deselections.

‘I’m not leaving the Tories, they’ve left us’