(Bloomberg) -- Theresa May is facing a revolt from lawmakers in her Conservative party who want her to stop concealing her plans for leaving the European Union.
Thus far all the Prime Minister has said is that she will trigger exit talks by the end of March, when she formally notifies the EU that Britain is leaving the bloc, under Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty. She insists on keeping her negotiating position a secret despite calls for clarity from business leaders, European politicians and now her own members of parliament.
It appears that as many as 40 Tories could be willing to vote with the opposition Labour party, which is putting forward a motion demanding that May promises to publish an outline for Brexit before beginning formal negotiations, Anna Soubry, a senior pro-EU lawmaker in May's Conservative party, said in a BBC radio interview on Monday.
The motion would be debated Wednesday in the lower house of parliament and could potentially including a non-binding vote. Soubry said “this actually transcends party politics and tribalism,” adding that many of her colleagues are willing to challenge May.
Soubry, who served as junior minister under David Cameron, called on the government to produce a sensible amendment to the Labour motion to bridge the schism over Brexit.
“It is so important for us all to come together as a country,” Soubry said. “There are still such huge divisions.”
May's office dismissed the appeal for more details: “We won't be revealing our cards before we have to,” her spokesman Greg Swift told reporters in London.
To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, Flavia Krause-Jackson, Simon Kennedy
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