The Conservative Party is at loggerheads over the Brexit crisis after Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested he could disobey the law to bring Britain out of the European Union without a deal.
The House of Lords passed a bill on Friday effectively blocking a no-deal Brexit, paving the way for it to become law.
But, according to The Daily Telegraph, the Prime Minister wrote to Tory members on Friday evening, telling them: "They just passed a law that would force me to beg Brussels for an extension to the Brexit deadline. This is something I will never do."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Source: Getty Images Europe
Earlier on Friday he told reporters he would not entertain seeking another deadline extension from Brussels, as the incoming law, expected to receive Royal Assent on Monday, compels him to if no agreement is in place by October 19.
Asked if he would obey the new law's demand for him to write to EU leaders requesting more time, Mr Johnson said: "I will not. I don't want a delay."
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith encouraged Mr Johnson to break the law, saying he would be seen as a Brexit "martyr" if judges opted to put him jail for breaching Parliament's terms.
If Mr Johnson fails to carry out the will of Parliament, he risks being taken to court and, if a judge ordered him to obey Parliament, he could be held in contempt and even jailed if he refused, reported The Telegraph.
Mr Duncan Smith told the newspaper: "This is about Parliament versus the people. Boris Johnson is on the side of the people, who voted to leave the EU.
"The people are sovereign because they elect Parliament. But Parliament wants to stop the will of the people."
Other ministers are said to take a different approach, however, and think it is time for Mr Johnson to reconcile with the 21 Conservative MPs he sacked this week after they rebelled against him.
The Times reported that senior Government figures want Mr Johnson to "come up with a plan B" and distance himself from Tory Eurosceptics after he was boxed in by the Opposition.
The new law blocking no-deal will rule out an early election before the European Council summit on October 17 as Labour and other opposition parties want the threat of leaving the EU on Halloween to have expired before agreeing to a fresh poll.
Protests are scheduled across the country over the weekend against Mr Johnson's leadership and Brexit strategy, with demonstrations in London on Saturday.
