LONDON — They call themselves the “European Research Group,” which sounds faintly clandestine.
But these 62 Conservative Party backbenchers in the British Parliament burst into the open this week with a push for a “hard” Brexit, warning their leader, Prime Minister Theresa May, in a public letter not to cave during upcoming clinch negotiations with Brussels.
The Tory hard-liners want Britain to have a complete, clean, clear exit from the European Union — or else.
Supporters of a softer, gentler Brexit, including high-ranking Conservative allies of May, called their demands “a ransom note.”
On Thursday, in what was billed as a showdown, May met with her Brexit “war cabinet” — 10 ministers whose portfolios touch on Brexit issues but who represent both the hard and soft camps — at the prime minister’s official country home, Chequers. Tea, snacks, drinks, dinner, desserts, talk and drinks were on the agenda.