Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt is  ‘working with Tory Eurosceptic plotters’

Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt is working with Brexiteer rebels to stop Theresa May switching to a softer Brexit, it was claimed today.

Tory sources said Ms Mordaunt was doing more than talking to leading rebels but was ‘working with key figures’ like Jacob Rees-Mogg on how to deliver Brexit – but friends of the minister dismissed the claim.

Ms Mordaunt was one of a series of Brexiteer ministers who opted to stay in Cabinet despite having deep reservations over the Prime Minister’s divorce deal.

The group hoped to work on the plan from inside Government to ensure the best Brexit available – instead of opting to snipe from the sidelines.

Hopes are fixed on the trade deal section of the talks due to begin after exit day in the spring but only if Mrs May’s deal is passed by the Commons. 

Ms Mordaunt is also seen as a leading Brexiteer contender for Tory leader when Mrs May quits – something which could happen within weeks if her deal is destroyed.

One senior Tory source told the Mirror: ‘Obviously people talk to one another but there’s a pretty big leap between having a chat with Jacob [Rees-Mogg] or Steve [Baker] and working with key figures in the ERG to pull together a plan that is ultimately your plan for government.

‘These are the people who are literally trying to get rid of her boss.’

An ERG insider added: ‘Penny is the most ERG person left in the Cabinet so it’s hardly surprising that she’s fishing in the pool.’

A source close to Ms Mordant dismissed the claims. The source said: ‘Penny believes the whole party has to come together to deliver Brexit.’  

As Mrs May fights to survive she forged an unlikely alliance with bitter rival Boris Johnson today condemning the idea of a second referendum.

Tory sources said Ms Mordaunt was doing more than talking to leading rebels but was ‘working with key figures’ like Jacob Rees-Mogg on how to deliver Brexit

The PM is launching a searing rebuff to those mooting another national ballot as a way through the mounting political crisis – thought to include some of her own Cabinet and closest aides.

In a bid to kill off the prospect, Mrs May will tell MPs it would cause ‘irreparable damage’ to Britain.

And the warning has been echoed by Mr Johnson, who insisted anyone backing a fresh referendum was ‘out of their minds’ and it would create ‘feelings of betrayal’ among millions of voters.

The united front with the former foreign secretary comes amid a desperate scramble to find a way through the Brexit deadlock.

With seemingly no hope of Mrs May’s deal making it through Parliament, Cabinet ministers are openly floating other approaches.