TWO of the Remainer Tory MPs who quit today in an anti-Brexit protest hold seats where voters backed Leave.

Both Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston have defied their constituents in their bid to overturn the result of the 2016 referendum.

3 Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston both represent pro-Leave seats Credit: AP:Associated Press

The pair faced potential bids to kick them out of their seats from Tory activists before they left the party altogether.

Along with Heidi Allen, they today announced they were joining ex-Labour rebels in the Independent Group.

The trio said: "Following the EU referendum of 2016, no genuine effort was made to build a cross party, let alone a national consensus to deliver Brexit."

They are all fighting for a second referendum to overturn the result of the 2016 vote.

Ms Soubry represents Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, where 52.5 per cent voted Leave three years ago.

She has repeatedly slammed Brexit, saying: "This will be the biggest mistake our country has ever made."

Local Conservative activists were keen to deselect her in protest at her pro-EU stance.

SPLIT SEAT

Dr Wollaston's seat of Totnes in Devon backed Brexit with a 54 per cent majority.

The constituency has been divided by bitter debates on its MP's future.

She initially backed Brexit ahead of the 2016 referendum, before performing a U-turn and accusing the Leave campaign of lying.

Dr Wollaston claimed the vote to leave the EU had led to "the Trumpification of our politics".

Hugo Swire, MP for the neighbouring seat of East Devon, said today: "Totnes voted for a Conservative MP and they now deserve to be represented by one!"

Ms Allen, the third rebel, is MP for the heavily pro-Remain South Cambridgeshire.

But the local mayor James Palmer said she was "foolish" to quit over Brexit and called for her to resign.

He blasted: "Heidi was elected as a Conservative MP and stood on a Conservative manifesto which at its heart fully respected the referendum result.

"I expect that Heidi believes she can get elected as an independent MP, I encourage her to put this to the test and to trigger a by-election. I hope Heidi enjoys her day in the limelight."

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The past three days have seen one of the biggest political realignments for decades as 11 MPs quit their parties to form the Independent Group which is likely to become a formal political party within months.

Centrist Labour figures slammed Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Semitism as they announced the split on Monday morning.

Today the three Tories joined them, turning the group into a cross-party anti-Brexit movement.

3 Heidi Allen faces calls to trigger a by-election Credit: Getty Images - Getty

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