Andrea Leadsom has said Theresa May should ask the EU to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement in order to get her Brexit deal through, despite Brussels having repeatedly said it will not be.
The prime minister will travel to Berlin and Paris on Tuesday to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a crunch summit on Wednesday.
All 27 EU member states must agree to an extension if the UK is to avoid the default position of a no-deal Brexit on Friday night.
May is expected to ask the EU for an extension to June 30 in order to try and get a deal through parliament.
But it has been reported a much longer delay of almost a year could be offered.
Tory MPs repeatedly voted down the PM’s deal over concerns about the Northern Ireland backstop, which they feared could keep the UK closely tied to the EU indefinitely.
Speaking on her way to Westminster this morning, Leadsom said it would “fantastic” if Merkel would “support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement”.
In response, Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, said later: “The withdrawal agreement is not going to be reopened.”
Leadsom, the pro-Brexit Commons leader, had told reporters: “There have been rumours over the weekend that some senior members of the German government would be willing to do that in order to get Theresa May’s deal over the line.
“The prime minister is seeking a delay, that is what the House has pushed upon her and she’ll be seeking a delay to 30 June.”
“But as the person with the responsibility to get the legislation through, if we could get the prime minister’s deal over the line because the EU have decided to support measures on the backstop, then that would be the best possible outcome.”
Talks are due to continue today between the Conservatives and Labour in an attempt to strike an agreement on Brexit that can secure a majority in the Commons.
David Gauke, the justice secretary, told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme this morning it was “too early to say” if a deal between the government and Labour would be reached.