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LONDON (Reuters) - Former British minister Owen Paterson said he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May in the hope of triggering a leadership challenge.

“I write to inform you that I no longer have confidence in the Prime Minister,” he said in a letter to the senior lawmaker who would oversee any leadership challenge.

“It would be a travesty if the democratic verdict of the 2016 referendum – the largest in British history – were not delivered, yet the Prime Minister’s proposed ‘deal’ is so bad that it cannot be considered anything other than a betrayal of clear manifesto promises.”

The letter was published in the Telegraph newspaper.