Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Andrea Leadsom: "I couldn't support the Brexit bill"

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has quit the cabinet, saying she no longer believes the government's approach will deliver Brexit.

Her resignation comes amid a backlash against Theresa May's Brexit plan from Conservative MPs.

Several cabinet ministers have told the BBC that the PM cannot stay, with one saying it is "the end of the line".

In a letter to Mrs Leadsom, the PM wrote she was "sorry to lose someone of [her] passion, drive and sincerity".

Mrs May also said she disagreed with "the assessment you now give about our approach" to Brexit.

Mrs Leadsom previously ran for Tory leader but withdrew, clearing the path for Mrs May to become prime minister.

As Commons leader, she was in charge of organising government business and had been due to announce when the prime minister's Withdrawal Agreement Bill would be introduced to Parliament.

Her resignation is the 36th by a minister under Theresa May - 21 of them over Brexit - and comes a day before the UK votes in the European elections.

The move came after a day of drama at Westminster in which anger grew at the prime minister's attempt to win backing for the bill - the legislation needed to implement the agreement between the UK and EU on the terms of Brexit.

As part of it, Mrs May has offered a number of changes, including a chance for MPs to hold a vote on another referendum if they back the bill.

In a letter to the prime minister, Mrs Leadsom - MP for South Northamptonshire - said she did not believe "the UK would be a truly sovereign United Kingdom through the deal that is now proposed".

She also described holding another referendum as "dangerously divisive", and said she was opposed to the government "willingly facilitating such a concession".

Another referendum would "risk undermining our Union which is something I passionately want to see strengthened", she said.

She also attacked the "breakdown of government processes", saying that Brexit-related legislation proposals had not been "properly scrutinised".

She concluded her letter by paying tribute to "the integrity, resolution and determination" of the prime minister and urging her to "make the right decisions in the interests of the country, the government and our party".

But in her response, Mrs May said her bill would deliver Brexit for the UK, and sought to assure her departing colleague that she continued to be opposed to a second referendum - arguing it would be "divisive".

'A step too far'

BBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake said that Mrs Leadsom had made many compromises over Brexit.

"She clearly feels the new improved bill - as Theresa May has styled it - was a step too far," he added.

"It is an extraordinary sequence of events for a key member of the Cabinet to resign on the eve of elections.

"It is unlikely that we will see others follow her immediately, but getting into Friday and the weekend, things could move swiftly."

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Home Secretary Sajid Javid "isn't going anywhere", but added that his backers said he wasn't happy about the second referendum part of Mrs May's offer.

Who is Andrea Leadsom?

Andrea Leadsom was the MP who stood against Theresa May for leadership of the Conservative Party in 2016, following David Cameron's resignation after the EU referendum.

She decided to withdraw from the race, leaving Theresa May as PM, following an interview in which she suggested that being a mother made her a better candidate for the job.

Mrs Leadsom campaigned for Leave during the Brexit campaign, appearing on the panel at the final TV debate of the campaign at Wembley Arena, alongside Boris Johnson and then Labour MP Gisela Stuart.

She served as environment secretary between July 2016 and June 2017, and more recently as Leader of the House, a role which means she organises and announces government business in Parliament.

Tim Loughton - the Conservative MP who ran Mrs Leadsom's campaign to be party leader - said she had "great integrity", and left because she couldn't support the prime minister's bill.

Pro-EU Conservative MP Dominic Grieve said he was sorry that Mrs Leadsom had resigned, but added that some of this colleagues are "living in world of fantasy".

"They refuse to accept they can't carry out Brexit in the way that they want," he said.

Labour MP Ian Lavery said the resignation showed "the prime minister's authority is shot and her time is up".

His colleague Jess Phillips praised Mrs Leadsom, saying: "I liked Leadsom. She had our back in the complaints process and she was vital in the proxy voting."

'Tough it out'

The minister's resignation capped a difficult day for the prime minister who continued to resist calls to quit herself.

Several cabinet ministers broke cover on Wednesday afternoon to signal their unhappiness with the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, among them Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also requested a private meeting with the PM to discuss the situation.

But BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the PM declined to meet the ministers - both of whom are seen as possible contenders to be the next Conservative leader - and instead seemed determined to "tough it out".

Image copyright PA Image caption Sir Graham Brady announcing that the PM had survived a no confidence vote in December 2018

The 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs had been expected to vote on Wednesday evening on whether to change the party's rules to allow an immediate vote of no confidence in the prime minister.

Current rules dictate that as the PM survived such a vote in December, she cannot face another one for 12 months.

Mrs May is now scheduled to meet the committee's chairman, Sir Graham Brady on Friday.

Laura Kuenssberg said the PM appeared to have bought herself 36 hours.

The PM had already pledged to set a timetable for a new leader to take over after MPs vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. That, in theory at least, is expected to happen on 7 June.

What is in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill?

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May says failure to back her deal risks "no Brexit at all"

Mrs May is bringing the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - legislation required to bring her agreement into UK law - to Parliament in early June.

In an attempt to win over MPs across the House, she announced the following concessions:

A guarantee of a Commons vote on whether to hold another referendum on the government's Brexit deal

A vote on different customs options, including a government proposal for a temporary customs union for goods - what Mrs May called a "customs compromise"

A legal obligation for the UK to "seek to conclude alternative arrangements" to replace the Northern Ireland backstop by the end of 2020

If the backstop does come into force, the bill would guarantee Northern Ireland remains aligned with the rest of the UK and remains in same customs territory

Legislation to ensure workers rights are "every bit as good, if not better" after Brexit - and guarantees of no dilution in environmental standards

A legal duty to seek changes to the political declaration on future relations with the EU

What are the Tory leadership rules? </s> ANDREA Leadsom has sensationally resigned from her position in Theresa May's cabinet.

The leader of the House of Commons has tweeted to say she has quit her post in defiance at Theresa May's refusal to stand down. She wrote: "It is with great regret and a heavy heart that I have decided to resign from the Government." According to sources, Leadsom had been preparing to mount a leadership bid to become Prime Minister as soon as the PM announced her departure. But May managed to cling on tonight, refusing to meet a furious cabinet and saying she will even be out campaigning tomorrow.

Leadsom herself ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party in the wake of the referendum to leave the European Union that saw David Cameron resign as Prime Minister. But a gaffe-prone campaign saw her lose the race, with Theresa May eventually becoming PM. However, in a stinging resignation letter, the top Tory said she urged May to "make the right decisions in the interests of the country [and] this Government", adding: “I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result”. She also said her decision to quit was over Brexit, stating that she no longer thinks the Government can deliver on the result of the referendum and blasting the PM's decision to offer a second vote.

It seems May's premiership is now all but over tonight as ministers line up to criticise her disastrous handling of Brexit. Explaining the timing of her resignation the night before the UK goes to the polls in the European elections, she said: "I considered carefully the timing of this decision, but I cannot fulfil my duty as Leader of the House tomorrow, to announce a Bill with new elements that I fundamentally oppose. "I fully respect the integrity, resolution and determination that you have shown during your time as Prime Minister." It now looks as though Theresa May could resign on Friday, with a meeting with the Conservatives' ruling 1922 Committee scheduled.

Sources inside Whitehall are now saying she has merely bought herself another 36 hours, but that her departure is still imminent. There is also speculation that she has delayed quitting until after the EU election so that she can take some of the blame if the Conservative Party does disastrously. It is believed she might do that to give the Tories some chance of bouncing back in the polls. </s> LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - Prominent Brexit supporter Andrea Leadsom resigned from British Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet on Wednesday, saying she could no longer support the government's approach after May's latest gambit to pass her Brexit deal backfired.

"I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result," Leadsom, who served as Leader of the House of Commons, said in a resignation letter to May.

"It is therefore with great regret and with a heavy heart that I resign from the government." (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Catherine Evans) </s> Andrea Leadsom resigned from her role of Leader of the House on Wednesday, on the eve of voters heading to the polls for the European elections. It came after the Prime Minister set out her “new Brexit deal” on Tuesday, which angered many Tory MPs, as it opened the door a second referendum and, if voted for, would allow Parliamentarians a say on future customs policy. Speaking on talkRADIO, John Redwood, who has long called for the UK to leave the European Union on WTO terms, delivered a brutal response to the news of the resignation.

He said: “Andrea Leadsom has resigned. I am not surprised.” He added: “I think it would be very difficult to support the current position of the Prime Minister. “My surprise is more of them having chosen to resign as well.” Mr Redwood added: “I think it is a great pity the cabinet did not take a stronger line with the Prime Minister earlier this week and told her that there is no chance of the Withdrawal Bill going through and therefore it is an agony that should be spared.

“The idea we need a fourth vote on all this with some sort of compromise that Labour like and Conservatives don’t.” Prime Minister Mrs May outlined her “new Brexit deal” on Tuesday afternoon, which sparked fury among many Tory MPs. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn also responded by suggesting they would not support the deal. On Wednesday evening it was announced the Chairman of the Conservative Party’s influential 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, would meet with the Prime Minister on Friday after Chief Whip Julian Smith met with the 1922 Executive.

BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg wrote on Twitter: “At this stage, the PM seems to have bought another 36 hours, by refusing to quit and refusing to see ministers who want her to go asap”. Later on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister was dealt another fresh blow with the resignation of the Leader of the House of Commons. In her resignation letter, Ms Leadsom said her decision to quit as Leader of the House comes with "great regret”. She wrote: "I do not believe that we will be a truly sovereign United Kingdom through the deal that is now proposed.

"I have always maintained that a second referendum would be dangerously divisive, and I do not support the Government willingly facilitating such a concession. "It would also risk undermining our Union, which is something I passionately want to see strengthened." A Downing Street spokesman said: "Andrea Leadsom has served with distinction and great ability as a member of the Government, and the Prime Minister is grateful for all of her work. "We are disappointed that she has chosen to resign, and the Prime Minister remains focused on delivering the Brexit people voted for." </s> British Prime Minister Theresa May may step down as soon as Friday amid a mutiny among her cabinet members and her inability to get Parliament to sign off on a deal to exit the European Union, according to a report.

House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom resigned on Wednesday over May’s Brexit policy and a number of other cabinet members have said that the prime minister has reached “the end of the line,” the BBC reported on Thursday.

And May’s bill for a new Brexit deal now isn’t expected to be published or voted on until next month.

The prime minister had planned to have the bill published on Friday.

But Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt shoved aside speculation about May’s resignation, saying she would still be the prime minister when President Trump arrives in Great Britain ​o​n June​ 3​.

“Theresa May will be prime minister to welcome him and rightly so​,” Hunt said. ​

Leadsom said she stepped down because May’s Brexit plan had “elements I cannot support, that aren’t Brexit.”

May said she was sad to lose someone of Leadsom’s “passion, drive and sincerity.”

May had promised to step down if lawmakers approve her Brexit deal but the calls for her to set a date have become louder and more persistent.

Britain voted 52 percent to 48 percent in June 2016 to leave the European Union, but Brexit legislation has been rejected three times.

​It now faces a Oct. 31 deadline to leave the European Union.​ </s> London: Prominent Brexit supporter Andrea Leadsom resigned from British Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet on Wednesday, saying she could no longer support the government’s approach after May’s latest effort to pass her Brexit deal backfired.

May resisted growing calls to resign on Wednesday, vowing to press on despite mounting opposition from lawmakers and even some of her own ministers to her latest Brexit gambit.

But Leadsom said she could not announce the new Withdrawal Agreement Bill in parliament on Thursday as she did not believe in it.

“I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result,” Leadsom, who served as Leader of the House of Commons, said in a resignation letter to May.

“It is therefore with great regret and with a heavy heart that I resign from the government.”

May’s new Brexit plan includes a vote on whether to hold a second Brexit referendum — once her legislation passes the first stage — as well as closer trading arrangements with the EU in future as incentives to lawmakers.

But that met a swift backlash, with several lawmakers who have supported her in previous Brexit votes saying they could not back her new plan.

“I have always maintained that a second referendum would be dangerously divisive, and I do not support the government willingly facilitating such a concession,” Leadsom said.

May is due to meet the chair of the powerful 1922 committee of Conservative lawmakers on Friday, after campaigning for European Parliament elections on Thursday.

“No one has wanted you to succeed more than I have,” Leadsom wrote to May. “But I do now urge you to make the right decisions in the interests of the country, this government and our party.” </s> The pound continued to hover around 4-month lows Thursday after Prime Minister Theresa May suffered another cabinet resignation and faced intensifying calls by some members of her party to step down.

Sterling versus the U.S. dollar has moved toward the $1.25 handle, falling to a low of $1.2603 just as European trading began on Thursday.

Around the same time the euro bought 88.385 pence. The pound is currently on track to suffer 14 consecutive days of losses against the euro zone's common currency.

A fourth attempt by May to secure domestic support for her Brexit withdrawal plan looks doomed to fail and calls for her to step down have amplified.

Adding to May's troubles was the resignation of House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom on Wednesday evening. Leadsom is the 36th minister to resign in the almost three years of the May premiership.

"Investors should not be complacent about the threat of a no-deal exit, which we believe would take the pound as low as $1.15 and 0.97 versus the euro," UBS analysts said in a note Thursday.

May is expected to depart in the next few days and her Conservative Party will narrow down candidates to two people before conducting a run-off vote.

A number of Conservative lawmakers are thought to be in the race to be the next U.K. leader, but bookmakers put the former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as favorite. Johnson confirmed his candidacy last week.

Johnson, a supporter of Brexit, has been hugely critical of May's attempts to agree a deal and has said that Britain has "nothing to fear" from leaving the trading bloc.

The investment bank J.P. Morgan said in a note Tuesday that a leadership victory for Johnson would likely trigger a number of defections from within the Conservative Party, strengthening the case for a general election.

Now watch: Where did Brexit come from? </s> Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has resigned from the Government with a “heavy heart”, saying she no longer believes its Brexit approach will deliver on the referendum result.

Mrs Leadsom said she was “proud” to have served in Theresa May’s Government since 2016, and had stayed in the Cabinet to “shape and fight for Brexit” despite some “uncomfortable compromises along the way”.

But she said: “I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result.”

Mrs Leadsom said she did not believe that the UK will be “truly sovereign” through the deal proposed, and said a second referendum would be “dangerously divisive”.

She also said there had been “such a breakdown of government processes that recent Brexit-related legislative proposals have not been properly scrutinised or approved by Cabinet members”.

And Mrs Leadsom added: “The tolerance to those in Cabinet who have advocated policies contrary to the Government’s position has led to a complete breakdown of collective responsibility.”

A Downing Street spokesman said: “Andrea Leadsom has served with distinction and great ability as a member of the Government, and the Prime Minister is grateful for all of her work.

“We are disappointed that she has chosen to resign, and the Prime Minister remains focused on delivering the Brexit people voted for.”

Mrs Leadsom, a leading Brexiteer in the Cabinet, said she resigned ahead of Thursday’s Business Statement to the Commons because she felt she could not announce a Bill with “new elements that I fundamentally oppose”.

“I fully respect the integrity, resolution and determination that you have shown during your time as Prime Minister,” she wrote.

“No one has wanted you to succeed more than I have, but I do now urge you to make the right decisions in the interests of the country, this Government and our party.”

Mrs Leadsom was one of a number of Brexit-supporting colleagues in the so-called Pizza Club who were absent for the start of Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

Her resignation came as Mrs May faces growing pressure to quit amid a backlash over her last-ditch effort to get a Brexit deal through.

The Prime Minister will meet Sir Graham Brady, the representative of Tory backbench MPs, on Friday for a meeting which could seal her fate.

She has previously agreed to set out the timetable for the contest to replace her after a crunch vote on her Brexit deal, widely expected on June 7.

That deadline appears to have been brought forward with the announcement she will meet Sir Graham, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, the day after polling day for the European elections, which are expected to be disastrous for the Conservatives.

Sir Graham told reporters: “I will be meeting with the Prime Minister on Friday following her campaigning in the European elections tomorrow and following that meeting I will be consulting with the 1922 executive.”

He said the executive discussed “all sorts of things” in the meeting. The 1922 Committee’s executive had been expected to consider a rule change to allow another attempt to force Mrs May out.

Following the failed bid to oust her in 2018, under the existing rules Mrs May would be safe from another confidence motion until December.

One Tory MP described the outcome of the 1922 Committee meeting as “the can kicked down (the road) until Friday”.

In a sign of unrest at the highest levels of the Tory party, a series of Cabinet ministers asked for meetings with Mrs May to raise their concerns about the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) which would put the Prime Minister’s Brexit plan into law.

Downing Street sources said it was possible that the PM could meet Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Thursday, but there was no confirmation that an audience would be granted for other ministers with reservations about the plan.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has asked for a meeting to discuss his concerns about the prospect of a second referendum, after Mrs May revealed she would grant MPs a vote on whether the Brexit deal should be put to the public.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell also has particular concerns because he fears the prospect of another referendum could be “exploited” by the SNP to call for a fresh independence vote. </s> EMBATTLED UK prime minister Theresa May has had a turbulent day of high profile ministerial resignations and backlash against the deal.

EMBATTLED UK prime minister Theresa May has had a turbulent day of high profile ministerial resignations and backlash against the deal.

Theresa May has turbulent day of high-profile resignations and backlash

It is reported that Mrs May has offered the job of Brexit secretary to Michael Gove - his decision is believed by many to be key to the survival of the Tory leader.

Today letters to the 1922 Committee have been pouring in seeking a 'no confidence' vote in Mrs May - there must be 48 to trigger such a vote.

Meanwhile, European Council President Donald Tusk has signalled that he still hopes Brexit can be averted but said the EU is prepared if there is a "no-deal scenario".

Speaking as chaos continues in Westminster over the proposed Withdrawal Agreement wiht the UK, Mr Tusk said the EU "is prepared for a final deal with the United Kingdom in November."

He also told reporters in Brussels that; "We are also prepared for a no-deal scenario but of course we are best prepared for a no-Brexit scenario."

After a days of resignations among her ministers, British Prime Minister Theresa May is due to give a press conference at 5pm.

Earlier, the British Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and three other ministers resigned over Theresa May's Brexit deal, in a massive blow to her plans.

Mr Raab, who only took over in the summer after David Davis resigned in protest over the British Prime Minister's withdrawal strategy, said he "cannot in good conscience support the terms proposed for our deal with the EU".

His surprise departure on Thursday came amid a furious backlash from Brexit-backing Conservatives to the deal agreed by UK and EU negotiators four months ahead of the UK's scheduled withdrawal on March 29.

Hours earlier Shailesh Vara had quit as minister of state for Northern Ireland, saying Mrs May's agreement, "leaves the UK in a halfway house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation".

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has handed in his letter of no-confidence to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, saying Ms May's Brexit deal "has turned out to be worse than anticipated and fails to meet the promises given to the nation by the Prime Minister".

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Raab said the deal represented a "very real threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom" because of provisions for Northern Ireland.

He also said he could not accept "an indefinite backstop arrangement" for the Irish border.

He said: "No democratic nation has ever signed up to be bound by such an extensive regime, imposed externally without any democratic control over the laws to be applied, nor the ability to decide to exit the arrangement."

The work and pensions secretary Esther McVey has also stepped down on Thursday morning.

She said the Brexit deal “does not honour the result of the referendum”.

In a resignation letter posted on Twitter, Ms McVey cited concerns over the future of the Union and a lack of control over money, law, borders and trade policy under a deal she felt kept the UK too close to Brussels.

She wrote: "The British people have always been ahead of politicians on this issue, and it will be no good trying to pretend to them that this deal honours the result of the referendum when it is obvious to everyone that it doesn't.

"We have gone from no deal is better than a bad deal, to any deal is better than no deal.

"I cannot defend this, and I cannot vote for this deal. I could not look my constituents in the eye were I to do that.

"I therefore have no alternative but to resign from the Government."

Suella Braverman has also resigned as a Brexit minister, her office said.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan has resigned as a parliamentary private secretary in the Department for Education, saying she cannot support the Brexit deal after negotiations “built on the UK trying to appease the EU”.

Mr Raab added: "Above all, I cannot reconcile the terms of the proposed deal with the promises we made to the country in our manifesto at the last election.

"This is, at its heart, a matter of public trust."

Ms May is due to hold a press conference at 5pm.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney has said there may not be “a majority for any way forward in Westminster” as UK minsters resign over the Brexit deal.

Taking questions on the draft deal in the Dáil, Mr Coveney said it would “protect Ireland’s core interests now and into the future”.

He praised the work of Irish diplomats involved in the negotiations over the past two years, saying they did an “extraordinary job to build and maintain EU unity around many off the Irish vulnerabilities”.

And he said the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier had shown “extraordinary capacity to understand the detail” of the Irish concerns.

Asked by Fianna Fáil’s Darragh O’Brien about the instability in the UK government, Mr Coveney replied: “Of course there are challenges to selling any package in United Kingdom.

“Many people would say there isn’t a majority for any way forward in Westminister.”

But he added that British Prime Minister Theresa May has “shown a capacity to get things done in very difficult circumstances”.

Mr O’Brien questioned whether the Government had been too triumphalist in their public statements since the deal was published.

“The time for victory and celebration is when this draft agreement is ratified and satisfied by all,” he said, adding that “every statement being made in Ireland is being scrutinised”.

However, Mr Coveney rejected this claim. He argued that the Government had a duty to explain what was in the deal to the Irish people.

The Minister said he was giving “reassurance” to people who were “very sceptical that a deal could be done” to maintain open trade on this island.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Mrs May spoke by phone this morning, Independent.ie has learned.

It is understood Mr Varadkar offered the embattled PM his “support” amid a string of ministerial resignations in Westminster.

They pledged to “work together” on the future relationship between the UK and EU so that the Irish backstop “never needs to be invoked”.

Earlier, the Brexit deal that ensures no hard Border on this island was hailed as a major victory for Ireland.

While Mr Varadkar said Brexit is "something we regret", he insisted the best possible Withdrawal Agreement has been negotiated.

He said other EU members had taken on Irish concerns and helped protect the peace process, the common travel area and our economy.

"This is one of the better days in politics," he said.

Mr Varadkar praised Mrs May for being "true to her word" by ensuring there will be no hard Border.

Andrea Leadsom has insisted she has no plans to quit the Government and will support Theresa May in securing a Brexit deal.

The Commons Leader, who attends the UK Cabinet as part of her role, hit back after her SNP counterpart Pete Wishart joked she had upset his "Brexit resignation bingo coupon", adding: "I had her definitely down as a resigner."

Mrs Leadsom replied: "Normally I'm very happy to entertain (Mr Wishart's) banter but I think all he's done today is to demonstrate he's not very good at bingo."

She added: "I am staying in Government because there is more work to be done to get the Brexit that the Prime Minister wants to deliver to the people, and therefore I am determined to support her to do that.

"Now, him bantering about it and mocking it is all very well, but he doesn't suggest anything else and his party has form for ignoring the will of a referendum in Scotland that voted to stay in the United Kingdom.

"What are they doing sitting there? All they want to do is break up the United Kingdom, and against the will of Scottish fishers keep them in the Common Fisheries Policy. How much sense does that make?"

The pair's exchanges came at business questions and amid the backdrop of Cabinet resignations over Mrs May's draft Brexit withdrawal agreement.

However, there will now be major concerns that the ministerial resignations in London will be followed by more in the British Cabinet - meaning that any deal Brexit will once again be up in the air.

Representatives from the SDLP, Sinn Fein, Alliance and the Northern Ireland Green Party have arrived at the Department of the Taoiseach in Dublin for a meeting with Mr Varadkar to discuss the draft Brexit agreement.

SDLP leader Colm Eastwood said: "It will be a difficult few days for Theresa May but we need to focus on the positive and make sure the backstop is backed."

The resignations came as European Council president Donald Tusk announced an extraordinary meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on November 25, at which the withdrawal agreement and a political declaration on future relations will be finalised and formalised.

Westminster is braced for further resignations, amid widespread expectations that the British Prime Minister may face a challenge to her position from Conservative MPs submitting letters of no confidence in her leadership.

Mr Raab had been a surprise choice as Brexit Secretary when Mr Davis, along with foreign secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit minister Steve Baker, resigned in protest at Mrs May's Chequers plan in July.

As the UK's ministerial point man in negotiations he made repeated trips to Brussels for talks with EU negotiator Michel Barnier as he and civil servants tried to hammer out a workable withdrawal agreement.

The pound fell heavily against most major currencies after his resignation. Sterling dropped 1.1pc to 1.28 US dollars and was 1.2pc lower at 1.13 euros.

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett said the Government was "falling apart before our eyes as, for a second time, the Brexit Secretary has refused to back the Prime Minister's Brexit plan".

"This is the 20th minister to resign from Theresa May's Government in her two-year premiership," he said.

"Theresa May has no authority left and is clearly incapable of delivering a Brexit deal that commands even the support of her Cabinet, let alone Parliament and the people of our country."

Remain-supporting Tory MP Anna Soubry added on Twitter that Mr Raab's resignation "marks the end of PMs Withdrawal Agreement" and possibly her premiership.

Ms Soubry added: "No PM deserves to be so badly treated.

"Raab signed up to her Withdrawal Agreement allowing her to make her statement after Cabinet knowing he'd resign in time for the 9am News bulletins the next morning. Shameful."

Mrs May now faces a battle to get it through Parliament as pro-Leave Conservative MPs - as well as some Remainers - lined up to condemn the plan, accusing her of breaking promises and leaving the UK at the mercy of Brussels.

In a resignation statement, North-West Cambridgeshire MP Mr Vara - who was promoted by Mrs May as recently as July - said: "We are a proud nation and it is a say day when we are reduced to obeying rules made by other countries who have shown that they do not have our best interests at heart.

"We can and must do better than this. The people of the UK deserve better."

Mr Vara, a former Conservative vice chairman who has served as a whip and on the frontbenches for the bulk of his career since entering Parliament in 2005, backed Remain in the 2016 referendum.

In Brussels, Mr Tusk was handed a copy of the 585-page withdrawal agreement by EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.

Ministers and ambassadors of the remaining 27 EU states will work to finalise by next Tuesday the political declaration on future relations with the UK, published in outline form on Wednesday, he said.

Welcoming the UK Cabinet's collective agreement to accept the withdrawal document, Mr Tusk said: "Of course, I do not share the Prime Minister's enthusiasm about Brexit as such.

"Since the very beginning, we have had no doubt that Brexit is a lose-lose situation and our negotiations are only about damage control."

And he sent a message to the British people: "As much as I am sad to see you leave, I will do everything to make this farewell the least painful possible, both for you and for us."
Andrea Leadsom resigns as the United Kingdom's Leader of the House of Commons with immediate effect in response to Prime Minister Theresa May's handling of Brexit. Several other cabinet ministers are reportedly threatening to resign.