Geoffrey Cox
Geoffrey Cox
Mr Cox is being held in contempt of parliament after failing to publish full information from the Brexit legal advice on December 5. In the advice, now revealed, Mr Cox said the UK could be trapped in the customs union "indefinitely".

The Prime Minister has faced an uphill battle after she was forced to pull a Common vote on her deal in order to renegotiate the terms with Brussels - only to return from last week's EU summit empty handed.

But the Telegraph reports that during a call with frontbench minsters Michael Gove, Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt, Mr Cox said MPs should "swallow" Theresa May's Brexit Withdrawal Agreement for the time being.

Sources told the newspaper the Attorney General suggested the Prime Minister "would need to be removed for quarter one [April of next year] so we can take over the next stage" - immediately after the UK leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019.

The newspaper claims Mr Cox held a conference call with the MPs on November 11, just before a cabinet meeting in which ministers signed off Mrs May's deal.

Mr Cox is said to have made the comments during a conference call on Sunday, November 11, days before the pivotal Cabinet meeting at which ministers agreed the Prime Minister's deal.

But a spokesman for Mr Cox hit out at the reports. He said: "The Attorney General firmly denies any suggestion that he called for the PM to be removed. ‎

"This is completely untrue."

One source said Mr Cox told MPs that rejecting the bill would result in a crisis - but it could be "reset" during the second round of negotiations.

Another said Mr Cox used a football analogy to put his across his point, saying: "We lose the first half but live to fight the second if we replace the coach."

A third source, backing up the claims, said that Mr Cox had spoken of removing the Prime Minister from office on more than one occasion.

Meanwhile, speculation about a Tory leadership continues to grow as the Prime Minister finds herself in a catch 22 situation, with neither MPs or Brussels diplomats willing to compromise over her deal.

Home Secretary Savid Javid and House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom are said to be eyeing up the job of Prime Minister.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also said on Sunday that he would have a "crack" at the Tory Leadership - and also highlighted he would support a "managed no-deal" Brexit.