Brexiteer: ‘This is the end of Brexit’

Speaking to Sky News, he said: ‘It seems to me very likely, as a result of Mr Bercow’s ruling yesterday, there will be a huge extension to Article 50 over the weekend [and] no deal is off the table.

‘My suspicion is, this is the end of Brexit. I don’t think Britain will leave the EU, I think Mr Bercow’s ruling will have that effect.’

It was echoed by employment minister Alok Sharma, who urged other Brexiteers to follow Gray to support Theresa May.

‘The chances of a longer extension and possibly a ‘softer’ Brexit or no Brexit at all have become more likely as a result of what the Speaker did yesterday,’ he said.

‘What every colleague, every parliamentarian, every MP has to think about very carefully is that when this deal comes back to the table, do they want to to get this over the line with a short extension? Or do they want to risk Brexit itself?’

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So far the number of Tories publicly switching positions has amounted to a trickle rather than the flood the prime minister needs to overturn the 149-vote defeat for the deal she previously suffered.

Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski also acknowledged that the deal was now the ‘only game in town’ while former cabinet minister Esther McVey, who resigned over the Brexit deal, suggested she and other MPs could now back it, even though it was ‘rubbish’.