I’m not some crazed Brexiteer, says May

THERESA May has distanced herself from hardline Tory enemies of Brussels saying she’s not ‘some crazed Brexiteer’.

The Prime Minister told aides at a private meeting last week she will not risk economic suicide by ‘jumping off a cliff’ with a hard Brexit – and secretly backs some demands by Remain Tories.

She added: ‘I don’t understand it. I voted Remain. Why do they think I’ve suddenly become some crazed Brexiteer?’

Mrs May’s outspoken comments at a Downing Street meeting reflect her frustration at claims by Eurosceptic Tory MPs who boast they have forced her to take a tougher stance. The Mail on Sunday can reveal she sympathises with rebel Tories who warn leaving the EU without a deal could be disastrous and apologised to them after they accused one of her Ministers of ruining her attempt to extend an olive branch. She will only walk away from EU talks if all else fails.

Meanwhile, in an interview in today’s Financial Mail on Sunday, Baroness Ros Altmann, an ex-Tory Minister, also raises concerns about the Brexit debate. She says: ‘I have never before in my life been so frightened about saying what I think about Brexit.’