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Senior Tories declared today they have enough cross-party support to push through an ultra-soft Brexit if Theresa May’s deal collapses next week.

In a sign that Parliament is ready to seize control from the embattled Prime Minister, two prominent supporters of her agreement said there was a Commons majority for backing a Norway-plus plan that would keep Britain in Europe’s single market and customs union.

Former Downing Street fixer Sir Oliver Letwin said: “I do believe there is a cross-party majority for that solution in the House of Commons.”

And Former Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan told the Evening Standard: “It has been clear for months now that a consensus in Parliament can be found around access to the single market and being part of a customs union, which points towards a Norway-plus solution.”

Last night Mrs May suffered three heavy defeats in Commons votes. Referring to the one which will put Parliament in charge if a Brexit Plan B was needed, Sir Oliver told Radio 4’s Today programme: “There is now a mechanism to ensure that can be put in place.” Former business minister Anna Soubry commented: “Sensible centrists are taking back control of the Brexit debate.”

In key events today:

Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom, a leading Brexiteer, claimed a no-deal Brexit could still happen because the Government would not be bound by Commons motions.

Two more ministers were said to be poised to resign from the Government to protest against Mrs May’s blueprint.

Some six to seven pages of confidential legal advice by the Attorney General that was shown to Cabinet ministers in private last month was being published at the behest of Parliament.

Mrs May’s leadership was once again being discussed by MPs. Mrs Leadsom said she was the right person to lead the country “at the moment”.

The Prime Minister’s power to control Brexit was badly weakened by the triple defeats at Westminster, when MPs voted to hold the Government in “contempt” of Parliament.

Mrs May’s former de facto deputy Damian Green was among MPs who joined the Commons revolt to allow other Brexit options to be put forward if her deal goes down in flames. He said today he would vote for it on Tuesday.

Sources said the Tory Right-wing European Research Group’s private WhatsApp group was “on fire” as furious members complained of a “plot” to derail the no-deal Brexit that some of them would prefer.

This morning there were warnings that Mrs May’s job will be on the line after next week’s big Commons vote on her deal, on December 11, which most expect to result in a massive defeat.

ERG member Steve Double said: “She is responsible for [the deal] and therefore sadly it appears the only way to change course is to change the leader. This is now about more than Brexit, this is about the very democratic heart of our country.”

Mrs Leadsom told Today the Government was publishing the legal advice “not without some regret”.

“Frankly, I think any parliamentarian who wants at some point in the future to be in Government is going to live to regret their vote last night,” she added. She told the programme she backed Mrs May’s deal but had experienced “conflicting thoughts” about it. Sir Oliver said: “I will support the Prime Minister’s deal but we all know there is a serious risk it will fail.”

There were also angry words from Centre-ground Tories.

Johnny Mercer accused the Government of “clear deception of red lines crossed without acknowledgement” and of “arrogance”.

Sam Gyimah, who resigned as universities minister last week, said the Government had left itself “an incredibly weak hand” for trade talks, adding: “It’s time to level with the British public that Brexit is far from over. We have to be clear-eyed that the EU will only work in its interest not ours.”

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox accused the pro-Remain majority in Parliament of attempting to “steal” Brexit from voters who backed Leave in 2016. “I think that there is, as I have written recently, a real danger that the House of Commons, which has a natural Remain majority, may attempt to steal Brexit from the British people,” the Brexiteer told the International Trade Committee. “Which I think would be a democratic affront.”

Brexiteer Tory Nigel Evans said: “I have got more chance of winning Bake Off than the Prime Minister has of winning this vote on Tuesday.”

Education Secretary Damian Hinds predicted that Brexiteers would rally behind Mrs May’s plan to stave off the risk of a second referendum or a Norway-style deal.

“There is one deal on the table. If that were not to be passed, then I think we go into a period of some uncertainty about what would happen instead,” he told Newsnight.

Former Cabinet minister John Redwood said: “Supporters of Mrs May also wanted to use the threat of no Brexit to try to get pro-Brexit MPs to vote for the May agreement. This in unlikely to work as the agreement is penal and does not get us out of the EU in any normal sense of that phrase.”

Right-winger Peter Bone said: “This is a completely rotten deal. It does not honour what the people voted for. A [confidence] vote would clarify the situation and we could either move forward with Mrs May or choose a new leader.”

Former Cabinet minister Grant Shapps was set to come out against the deal in a speech this afternoon, in which he will say Mrs May’s agreement that the EU and UK would use “best endeavours” to avoid a backstop is worthless.

Shailesh Vara, who resigned as Northern Ireland minister over the deal, said “at least two” ministers were preparing to follow him in walking out.