Senior Tory urges ministers to stop infighting ahead of crucial Brexit meeting or risk Corbyn-led government

'Electorates these days are volatile, but one thing is certain: they do not vote for divided parties'

Conservatives must stop infighting ahead of a crucial Brexit summit this week or risk a Jeremy Corbyn-led government, a senior Tory MP has warned colleagues.

Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the party’s influential 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, said that disunity is hindering Theresa May’s negotiating hand in Brussels and also “gives the impression of division to the country”.

His intervention follows a week of infighting at the highest levels of government with rows spilling over into the public and speculation of cabinet ministers on leadership manoeuvres.

On Friday, the prime minister will bring together ministers at her Chequers residence to thrash out details of a white paper setting out the UK’s plans for Brexit on issues including trade and the future relationship with the EU.

But tensions over the deep divisions on how to proceed threaten to boil over, with Michael Gove, the environment secretary, ripping up papers on future customs options in anger after his concerns about the proposals were downplayed.

In an article for The Observer, Sir Graham said: "The danger of disunity at the top of the party is not just that it makes the prime minister's job more difficult in negotiations with Brussels, and therefore puts at risk the good Brexit deal that is in reach, it also gives an impression of division to the country.

He continued: "Electorates these days are volatile, but one thing is certain: they do not vote for divided parties.

“They rejected decisively the divided Tory party in 1997. If we were to let Labour in again, it would be a disaster for this country.”

His call was also echoed by Damian Green, a former cabinet minister and close ally of the prime minister, who wrote in the Mail on Sunday: “"We all know the divisions that Brexit has caused and there is no point disguising them. Certainly the Europeans know about them very well.

“But it is not too much to ask that the Government itself can show a united front in the national interest. That means that every individual minister has a responsibility to think about his or her own public words, and decide whether now is the right time to be parading some individual hobby horse."

James Brokenshire, the communities secretary, said there are "strong views" in the cabinet about how to proceed on Brexit, adding he was “confident” Ms May’s top team can come to an agreement when they meet at Chequers on Friday.

He told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show: "I think there's no doubt that there is strong views on either side and that's what I would expect as we lead into the discussions on Friday.

"But, equally, I remain confident that we will come out from that meeting with that clear direction, the white paper that will follow, and actually setting out our vision for our future with our EU partners.”

The remarks came as Ms May announced she is also launching a Conservative policy commission that will "go out and engage with people" across the UK to develop new policies that can "improve the lives of people in our country".

In an article for The Sunday Telegraph, she wrote: "The commission's task forces will undertake the most extensive exercise of policy renewal ever conducted by a party in government.

"I want it to produce fresh, innovative thinking. Above all, I want to listen to the communities who voted for change two years ago.

"As I enter my third year as prime minister I am clear about my mission.

"To deliver a Brexit deal that sets the UK up to succeed; to press on with a programme of economic and social reform; and to renew my party in government to turn our vision of a stronger and fairer United Kingdom into a reality for all our citizens."