Three Tory MPs quit party to join new group

LONDON, Feb 20 (Al Jazeera): Three Conservative MPs have quit the party to join an independent group in the British parliament.

Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston resigned from the ruling party on Wednesday over the government's handling of Brexit.

The pro-EU legislators have been long-standing critics of May's strategy to take Britain out of the European Union and will sit with the Independent Group, formed by former-Labour MPs this week.

In a statement, they said they were resigning over "this government's disastrous handling of Brexit".

The move is a blow to British Prime Minister Theresa May's attempts to unite her party around her Brexit plans.

May said she was "saddened" by the move.

"I am saddened by this decision", May said in a statement, adding that the Brexit process was never going to be easy.