THERESA May is to face her Tory critics todayafter an “almighty row” broke out in Cabinet over Brexit preparations.
The Prime Minister will attend a meeting of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee at Westminster just days after one anonymous opponent suggested she should "bring her own noose" to the gathering.
A senior Tory source said calmly that Mrs May had accepted the invitation to "take the opportunity to talk to colleagues".
Confirmation of her attendance came amid reports that the number of Conservative MPs submitting letters calling for her removal was approaching the 48 needed to trigger a no-confidence vote in her leadership.
Yet, there were signs that a series of lurid briefings over the weekend by unnamed backbenchers calling for her to be "knifed" had backfired, causing MPs to rally behind her.
The Prime Minister's decision to attend the private meeting came after it emerged Whitehall was drawing up plans to charter ships to bring in emergency food and medicines should there be a no-deal.
The Cabinet was told the route between Dover and Calais could quickly become blocked by new customs controls on the French side, forcing Britain to find other ways of bringing in “critical supplies,” including hiring ships.
Ministers were said to have split into two camps about how to unblock a deal with the EU27. One insider said there was “an almighty row”.
No 10 denied any row had taken place at the Cabinet meeting and instead said there had been an “impassioned” discussion.
Also at Cabinet, Mrs May led a discussion on “strengthening the Union”.
She told her senior colleagues the United Kingdom was a “Union of nations, celebrating the rich cultural, economic and social benefits that each constituent part brings”.
Mrs May also ordered ministers to prepare weekly updates on preparations for Brexit; either with or without a deal.
It comes as some ministers feel they are being kept in the dark about developments.
Two weeks ago, Mrs May’s 11-strong inner War Cabinet talked through the issue of extending the transition period but, it is believed, it was not raised a few days later at the full Cabinet last Tuesday.
Some 48 hours later at the EU summit last Thursday, Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President, raised the issue of extending the transition period and said it would afford both sides more time to agree a trade deal and so avoid a backstop; he added it "probably will happen".
When David Mundell got wind of this possibility, the Scottish Secretary telephoned Downing Street and spoke to a top official, making clear his deep concern.
Any extension of the transition period would mean UK fishermen having to shadow the hated Common Fisheries Policy for another 12 months to the end of 2021 as quotas are set in December for the following year. Scottish Conservative MPs have made clear they could not vote for any Brexit deal that did not contain an exemption.
During Commons exchanges on Monday, the PM admitted extending the transition period might be a way to resolve the impasse of the Irish border backstop. When pressed, she told MPs how the fishing industry was “at the forefront of our thinking”.
Asked if the fishermen’s concerns were going to be properly looked at, her spokesman replied: “Yes, absolutely.”
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