FILE PHOTO: Britain's Conservative Party's leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom arrives at Downing Street in London, Britain, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Attempts to rule out a no-deal Brexit are a “thinly veiled” attempt to stop Britain from leaving the European Union, the leader of Britain’s lower house of parliament, Andrea Leadsom, told The Sunday Times newspaper.

Efforts to take no-deal off the table are a “thinly veiled attempt to stop Brexit,” the newspaper quoted the Brexiteer as saying.

Meanwhile, junior defense minister Tobias Ellwood became the latest government figure to say a no-deal Brexit should be ruled out.

“It is wrong for government and business to invest any more time and money in a no-deal outcome which will make us poorer, weaker and smaller in the eyes of the world,” he told the Sunday Times.