‘Most Tory MPS want sensible Brexit’

A “silent majority” among Conservative MPS wants a “sensible” Brexit which minimises disruption to British business, Theresa May’s former deputy Damian Green has said.

Along with Amber Rudd and Justine Greening, Mr Green met the Prime Minister on Wednesday to assure her that the bulk of her parliamentary party will back compromise with Brussels in Brexit negotiations.

The trio of former Cabinet ministers is understood to have urged Mrs May to ignore Brexit extremists on both sides of her party and pursue a course which keeps the UK closely aligned with the EU’S single market and customs union.

Their intervention comes amid stalemate in government efforts to devise a customs arrangement for the Irish border, with mounting expectations that Mrs May will ask for continued participation in the EU’S customs union until a solution can be found.

Committed Tory Eurosceptics such as the chair of the European Research Group Jacob Rees-mogg have warned that continued customs union membership would be unacceptable, while Remain backers such as Anna Soubry have fought a noisy campaign to keep the UK inside.