Top Medway Tories have signed a declaration in support of Britain remaining in the European Union, in a move that could expose leader Alan Jarrett as an increasingly isolated pro-Brexit figure within the council's senior ranks.

Last week Cllr Jarrett spoke out in favour of leaving the EU, explaining he felt membership was too expensive and threatened Britain’s sovereignty - but indicated several senior colleagues disagreed.

He wasn’t wrong. This week his comments were followed by a forceful pro-Remain statement signed by eleven senior Tories including deputy leader Cllr Howard Doe; senior cabinet members Cllrs Rodney Chambers OBE, Phil Filmer, David Brake and Adrian Gulvin; the Mayor of Medway Cllr Stuart Tranter; and Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst.

“Why do BREXIT not tell us what the new deal would look like?,” says the joint statement. “There is an old adage in business ‘Your power to negotiate is as strong as your willingness to walk away’. Well, if the UK exits from Europe we cannot ‘walk away’. Nearly half our trade is with the EU, but we account for only about 7% of their business. Make no mistake. The EU as a block is much more powerful than the UK alone. Yes, BREXIT are right; they will want to trade. But on their terms, because they will hold most of the cards.”

Also signed by Cllrs Diane Chambers, Anne-Claire Howard, Asha Saroy and Peter Hicks, the letter goes on to explain how building trade deals with the EU and the rest of the world will take years in the wake of a Leave vote, and that the country’s negotiating power would be weakened further if Scotland left the UK.

It continues: “This is why every single one of our friends and every independent body of expertise, including the IMF, suggest we stay. That is why the pound is falling. That is why jobs will be risked. That is why pension funds will be hit. That is why the economy could contract. Everyone is weakened if trading barriers go up.

“The great fear of BREXIT supporters is immigration, despite the fact most immigrants improve rather than hinder the economy. But hang on. Do you honestly think the EU will not include this as part of any trade deal anyway? Of course they will!

“While being in the EU we have become the 5th most powerful economy in the world, and the second in Europe. We could become the biggest, but certainly not on our own.

“There are problems to solve in the EU but we can build on our fantastic achievements over the past 70 years by influencing the EU as a strong partner. Walk away and we’ll be dominated by the EU on their terms. We’ll pay a heavy price, as will your children and grandchildren. That is why BREXIT has not told you how the new deal will look. They can’t.”

However, other Tories on the council voice their support for their leader’s stance. Cllr Rupert Turpin issued a statement on behalf of 14 councillors, including two cabinet members. It said: “We are writing to show our support for the leader of the Council’s view on Europe.

“There are a large number of Medway’s Conservative councillors including Cllr Rehman Chishti MP who are in favour of leaving the EU as indeed are the majority of the members of the Conservative Party locally we have spoken to.”

The statement went on to say the Euro currency had failed and mocked the EU for being "the slowest growing economic region of the world apart from Antarctica."

The EU was just an expensive club financed by the richest members, it said, adding that the warnings from financial experts over the catastrophic impact of a potential Leave vote were not necessarily reliable.

Among those signing the statement were David Carr and Andrew Mackness.