A group of more than a dozen British government ministers reportedly have the power to pull the plug on Brexit next month – in the event that no agreement between the British government and the European Union is reached.
According to a Bloomberg report, some 15 ministers opposing a no-deal Brexit are considering challenging British Prime Minister Theresa May to fire them if they vote against her in parliament next week.
They want a delay to Brexit if there is no agreement in place, according to Bloomberg.
Britain is due to leave EU on March 29.
Meanwhile, Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster, noted that May is having a difficult time convincing Brussels to accept legal changes to a controversial provision that could keep Britain closely tied to EU rules for years after it leaves the bloc. EU leaders have repeatedly said they are unwilling to reopen negotiations.
DW also reported on the three anti-Brexit lawmakers who quit British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party on February 20 to join eight former Labour MPs in a new independent political group.
Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston said in a joint letter to May that her government was handling Britain’s exit from the European Union “disastrously” and that the Conservative Party was “firmly in the grip” of hard-line pro-Brexit lawmakers.
“Following the EU referendum of 2016, no genuine effort was made to build a cross-party, let alone a national consensus to deliver Brexit,” they said.
The move came ahead of May’s trip to Brussels, where she is hoping to secure concessions from the European Union on a controversial Brexit withdrawal agreement.
“I am saddened by this decision,” May said. “Of course, the UK’s membership of the EU has been a source of disagreement both in our party and our country for a long time.”
The prime minister said however that the Conservative government was “doing the right thing” for the country.
