Pro-EU MPs vow to take control of the Government and delay Brexit in fresh assault on May's plan

A group of senior backbenchers pledged to act like an alternative Cabinet in order to stop Britain leaving the EU without a deal.

Top Tory Oliver Letwin claimed the move was necessary to avoid the "terrifying" prospect of a No Deal outcome.

But their threat to delay Brexit will anger Leave-supporting MPs who want to see Brexit happen on March 29 as scheduled.

Speaking in the Commons today, Sir Oliver laid out a plan to take No Deal off the table by extending the Article 50 process.

He said the rebel group would push their proposal through in two weeks if Mrs May doesn't strike a deal by then.

Sir Oliver admitted the proposal – where the Commons rather than the Government would be dictating the path of Brexit – would be unprecedented.

PLOT PLEDGE

He said: "This is a remarkable condition for Parliament and Government and the country to find itself in.

"It has never previously been the practice for this house to have to take control and to direct Government policy by legislation, that is an extraordinary turn of events.

"When this house comes to that situation we will be as it were a Cabinet… we will actually be making a decision about the future of this country.

"We will have in effect to take on, for this period, for this purpose, the government of this country."

We will have in effect to take on the government of this country

Sir Oliver said the proposed vote on February 27 would be "high noon" for MPs who are desperate to rule out No Deal.

Yvette Cooper, who is leading the revolt, told the Commons: "If we don't do something sensible like this it's like we're just all living in a fantasy world in which we talk about alternative arrangements.

"We say something is going to come along and sort it out and it just doesn't.

"It's as if we're all standing around admiring the finery of the Emperor's new clothes and actually the Emperor is running around stark naked and everyone is laughing at us – or at least they would be if it wasn't so sad."

The amendment would see Mrs May being set a deadline of mid-March to sign off on a Brexit deal.

If she failed, MPs would then vote to delay our leaving date, giving the Government more time to get a new agreement.

The PM insists that No Deal must remain an option or her negotiating position will be fatally undermined.

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