Top Cabinet minister to join protest against PM

Member of David Cameron’s team prepares to break the gag on Eurosceptics and speak out at public rally just as EU deal is signed

A CABINET minister is to defy David Cameron next week and say that they will campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, hours after the Prime Minister’s deal is done in Brussels.

The minister is said to be preparing to tell a mass rally of Brexit supporters in the heart of Westminster next Friday that the deal is not good enough.

The 1,300-strong event, being run by Grassroots Out campaign group, will take place just as Mr Cameron is expected to fly home from Belgium with details of Britain’s renegotiated relationship with the EU.

An organiser told The Daily Telegraph the event was intended to provide a platform for a Cabinet minister to come out in favour of the Out campaign.

There were “lots of conversations going on behind the scenes… There is a Cabinet minister coming out that day – and at the moment it is not scheduled to be Theresa May.”

Such a declaration on Friday night could breach Mr Cameron’s decision that ministers must abide by collective responsibility until it is formally lifted at a Cabinet meeting after the talks.

The organiser said ministers might consider collective responsibility to be lifted “at the point that the deal is agreed, the point the piece of paper is waved in the air”. He said it was “unacceptable” to require ministers to wait for several more days.

The source said discussions were continuing with the minister, but declined to name names.

Eurosceptic Cabinet ministers have been infuriated that Mr Cameron has forced them to keep their views under wraps while he has been able to talk up the benefits of his renegotiation.

There is speculation in Westminster that the Cabinet minister could be Iain Duncan Smith, Chris Grayling or Priti Patel, the employment minister, who has the right to attend Cabinet.

There are also rumours in the Grassroots Out campaign that the office of Mrs May had been in touch to ask about arrangements for the meeting, despite the Home Secretary already declaring support for Mr Cameron’s negotiations. The suggestion was strongly denied by her aides.

Mr Grayling’s friends said he would not say anything until collective responsibility was over, and he is backing the renegotiation. A source close to Ms Patel said she was “definitely not” attending the rally.

Aides to Mr Duncan Smith did not return requests for comment.

Speakers include David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, Tory MP Tom Pursglove and Labour MP Kate Hoey.

Mr Davis said the rally would mark the effective start of the Out campaign. Mr Pursglove said: “It is going to be a very symbolic event.”

There was anger among Right-wing Tory backbenchers about reports that Mr Cameron might sack Cabinet ministers who campaign to take Britain out of the EU.

More than 100 Conservative councillors warned Mr Cameron that “the long-term future of the Conservative Party” was at risk if he ignored grassroots members’ views.