Theresa May today faced a growing coalition of senior Conservatives opposed to her claim that there is no alternative to her Brexit deal.
The challenge emerged as MPs united behind a cross-party amendment calling for Parliament to stage votes on different options in the New Year — including a softer Brexit, a free trade deal and a second referendum.
It came as Brexit-backing Cabinet minister Liam Fox indicated he would be relaxed about leaving on no-deal terms.
Playing down Treasury and Bank of England warnings that crashing out would cause house prices to fall and badly damage growth, he said: “I think, as Roberto Azevedo, director-general of the World Trade Organisation, said, it wouldn’t be a disaster, but it wouldn’t be a walk in the park either.”
Mrs May ruled out any “Plan B” this morning as she flew to the G20 summit in Argentina, saying MPs pushing for a Norway-style deal — seen as the softest form of Brexit — ran the risk of causing Britain to crash out on no-deal terms.
“You talk about if a Norway-style strategy would bring Labour along with it,” she told reporters on board her RAF Voyager.
“Actually what they are doing is advocating rejecting the deal we’ve negotiated with the EU without having any proper alternative to it.”
She insisted her own agreement was the best of all worlds and “a more ambitious free trade agreement than Canada” which would also “end free movement — which Norway doesn’t do”.
Two influential Tory MPs indicated they were keen to explore different approaches, amid reports from Brussels that the EU was willing to delay Brexit if the Commons came out for a new Plan B.
Ex-minister Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, tweeted he was “more and more attracted” to the idea being pressed by Tory MP Nicholas Boles of a temporary Norway-style membership while negotiating a Canada-plus trade deal.
Mrs May’s former policy adviser, MP George Freeman, said he could foresee a “coalition” of MPs who backed soft and hard Brexit options forming to demand fresh negotiations.
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He tweeted: “Important development as Europe signals we can have more time to get a better Brexit. Could well be a majority in the House to extend Article 50.”
Former Labour minister Hilary Benn, who put down the cross-party amendment, said: “There simply isn’t a majority in the House of Commons for leaving the EU with no deal — it would be disastrous for the country — so this amendment would give MPs the chance to make this absolutely clear.
"But it would also enable the House of Commons to decide what happens next if the Prime Minister’s deal is defeated."
