UK's Gauke threatens to quit if no-deal Brexit pursued

Justice Secretary David Gauke has become the latest Cabinet minister to rebel against any move towards a no-deal Brexit by the UK's next prime minister.

Gauke yesterday said he would resign from his post, adding that a "sizeable" number of Conservative MPs believed the UK should leave with a deal

Conservative leadership favourite Boris Johnson has pledged the UK will leave the EU on October 31 “do or die”.

Europhile finance minister Philip Hammond, who expects to be sacked by Johnson or his rival Jeremy Hunt, last week said he would fight a no-deal from the backbenches.

Tory MP Sam Gyimah also said more than 30 Tory MPs could vote against a no-deal Brexit.

Gauke told the BBC he believed parliament "will find a mechanism" between now and 31 October to prevent the UK leaving without a deal.

When asked whether he thought he would be sacked from the cabinet if Johnson became prime minister, he said: "I suspect that I will possibly have gone before then."

"Assuming that he wins, if Boris's position is that he is going to require every member of the cabinet to sign up to being prepared to leave without a deal on 31 October, to be fair to him I can't support that policy - so I would resign in advance."

Gyimah said there were more than 30 Tory MPs looking at legislative options to block a no-deal Brexit, but would not elaborate on who they were.

"I wouldn't want to announce them before they have been tested as being viable," he told Sky News.

"But there is a real concern. The real concern here is not about Leavers or Remainers. The real concern here, is that this is not in the interest of our country.”

“What all this is about is staving off economic mayhem."