Portsmouth MP Penny Mordaunt refuses to openly back PM's Chequers Brexit plan

The international development secretary, who campaigned for Leave in the referendum, said she would not give a '˜running commentary' on the prime minister's plan, saying simply that the ball was '˜firmly' in the EU's court on what happened next.

The Portsmouth North MP said the PM still had her '˜support' and that she was '˜not in any way expecting that situation to change'.

But she suggested that the prime minster may have to amend her Chequers plan to get a final deal, saying that '˜we don't know where this is going to end up.'

'The prime minister can count on my support. But what I would say is that we don't know where this is going to end up. We are at a critical moment now. The ball is firmly back in the EU's court; we are waiting for them to respond,' she said.

Her stance came as former Brexit secretary David Davis yesterday warned of '˜dire' consequences for Conservatives at the next general election if the government didn't change its negotiation tactics with the European Union.

In a letter to fellow Tory MPs, he said a deal based on Mrs May's Chequers plan would deliver '˜none of the benefits of Brexit' and reduce the UK to being '˜a rule-taker from Brussels'.