Rory Stewart, a justice minister, was forced to immediately apologize after claiming that 80 percent of the UK electorate support Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal.
He made the claim in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live on Thursday, but quickly said “let me take that back” after the host asked where he got the statistic from.
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“My sense is, sorry, let me get the language right on that. My sense is that if we have an opportunity to explain this, the vast majority of the British public would support this deal,” he said.
Elaborating, the minister said he simply “produced a number” to “illustrate” how popular he thinks the deal is among Brits, admitting to completely fabricating the statistic.
PM May addressed parliament the following day in an attempt to sell the deal, warning that it is Britain’s best bet and perhaps the only way to avert a potentially calamitous no-deal Brexit.
However, many MPs remain unconvinced and want negotiators to go back to the drawing board.
Boris Johnson has been particularly critical of the proposed deal, warning it could result in the creation of a border down the Irish Sea.
Meanwhile, Tory backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg described the agreement as "rotten" and urged MPs to vote it down.
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