Now Tory rivals trade No Deal blows on Twitter

THE Cabinet war over a no-deal Brexit exploded into the open yesterday as ministers clashed over the prospect of leaving the EU without an agreement.

Theresa May gathered groups of ministers at No 10 to defuse the row as she raced to agree a Brexit plan B before returning to the Commons on Monday.

But the extent of Cabinet divisions were laid bare as rival ministers disagreed in public over how damaging a no-deal exit from the EU would be to the economy.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt argued that leaving without a deal would be better than staying in the EU – despite the disruption caused.

But she was contradicted by Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, who tweeted that business leaders feared No Deal was ‘unmanageable’.

The Prime Minister is facing the threat of ministerial resignations from rival factions in the Government ranks if she rules out No Deal or blocks MPs from stopping it.

The Cabinet is also split over whether to move close to Labour and propose a plan based on a permanent customs union.

Last night, Brexiteer ministers insisted Mrs May had assured them she would not bow to pressure from Remainers to accept Labour’s idea – or to hold a second referendum. However, she is under pressure to reach a compromise that will satisfy MPs.

Boris Johnson added to the pressure in a brutal assault on Mrs May’s handling of the crisis, arguing it was ‘pointless’ to win Labour’s support and telling her to focus on getting concessions from the EU.

The row over whether Mrs May should rule out a no-deal Brexit has dominated events since the defeat of her withdrawal agreement this week, and led to Mr Corbyn boycotting cross-party talks.

Yesterday, Miss Mordaunt highlighted how the audience on the BBC1’s Question Time on Thursday cheered loudly at the prospect of quitting talks with Brussels without an agreement.

She tweeted: ‘They might have judged that: The upsides of leaving outweigh the downsides of staying/ no deal disruption; it’s only when “no deal is better than a bad deal” is believed by the EU that we’ll maximise our chance of a deal; not honouring the result of the referendum would be appalling.’

But Miss Rudd, who was a leading figure in the Remain campaign, urged people to consider business concerns about the prospect.

She posted a video on Twitter of Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, warning this week that ‘the UK is not – and cannot be – ready for No Deal’. The Cabinet is divided over whether a no-deal Brexit should be ruled out by the Government, with some ministers threatening to resign if the UK leaves the EU without an agreement on 29 March 29.

A Cabinet source said Mrs May did not give a detailed outline of her planned next steps when she met ministers in groups at No10 to discuss the way forward, but she allayed fears that she could change tact and pursue a soft Brexit.

The source added: ‘Surprise, surprise, they did not get a lot from her. If there were any reassurance it was that a referendum and a customs union are not being considered.

‘There is a sense that the next step has to be something that unites the DUP and Conservatives.

‘While it was right to hold the cross-party talks with opposition leaders and MPs, at the end of the day we cannot split our party.’

Mrs May will spend the weekend at her Chequers retreat.

Her new Commons motion setting out the Government’s Brexit plans is expected to face at least two amendments aimed at stopping No Deal before MPs vote on Monday. Labour MP Jack Dromey and Tory former minister Dame Caroline Spelman confirmed they would table an amendment for the House to express its will against No Deal.

Labour former minister Yvette Cooper will seek an amendment to secure time for a Commons debate on a Bill that would give MPs more power in Brexit decision-making.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson said the Prime Minister should use the ‘emphatic’ rejection of her deal to demand the EU ditch the Northern Ireland backstop.

He insisted it was ‘overwhelmingly likely’ that the EU would be ‘flexible’ and offer a ‘big concession’.

But he came under fire from loyal ministers, who accused him of ‘thinking only about himself’.

The former foreign secretary dismissed calls for the Prime Minister to rule out a no-deal Brexit.

He said the UK should withhold half of its £39billion financial settlement until a future trade deal is completed to ‘put a tiger in the tank’ of talks.

Mrs May faces calls from some in her Cabinet to get a sunset clause to set a deadline to end of the backstop. One source said: ‘Once you bring the DUP on side, you’ll bring in 50 or 60 Conservative MPs, that would possibly attract 20-odd Labour MPs, that would lead you to enough numbers to get a deal.

‘Once the deal is looking likely to get over the line, it could attract more Eurosceptic rebels.’

‘We cannot split our party’