Brexit negotiations latest

Mark Francois, deputy chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group, said he thinks there will be a majority in cabinet in favour of Theresa May's deal.

But he warned Leave-supporting ministers to "look into their hearts" and consider their positions.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "This will be the most important decision they ever make in their whole lives.

"It is an open secret that there are a number of members of the cabinet who are very unhappy with this and have been for quite a long while.

"For those members of the cabinet, today is judgement day and if the prime minister bludgeons it through and they opposed it but they have not been listened to, then they will have to take an extremely important decision and history will judge what they did."

Asked whether his words were "menancing" by the BBC's Nick Robinson, Mr Francois said no.

"At the end of the day, they are grown-ups, they are the officer corps of the Conservative Party, they are at the apex of our political system, I am just one of the poor bloody infantry on the backbenches."

But he added: "There are a number of cabinet ministers who deep down very much oppose this [deal].

"They will have to look into their hearts and decide whether a Jaguar, a red box and a bunch of sycophantic civil servants calling you minister is more important than the destiny of your country."

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