It would be better for Britain to leave the EU without a deal than to seek a long delay to its departure, the Brexit secretary has said.

Stephen Barclay said the UK "shouldn't be afraid" of a no-deal outcome, even after parliament to take the option off the table.

The Brexit secretary was one of seven cabinet ministers who on Thursday voted against a government motion proposing a delay to Brexit, despite the fact he had wrapped up the debate for the government and urged MPs to support the proposal.

His latest comments raise questions over his position in the cabinet if the government abides by parliament's decision to rule out no-deal.

Theresa May had given her MPs a free vote on the issue of a Brexit delay in order to avoid a mass rebellion, leading to dozens of ministers opposing her plan.

Explaining his decision to vote against the government, Mr Barclay told the BBC: "There were two parts of the motion: a short technical extension, which we need with a deal and we're pushing that, [but] that's separate from whether you just have a long extension rather than no deal.

"My views are long-standing: I support Brexit, this constituency voted in very large numbers for Brexit. We need a deal, we need to get that over the line, but if we don't have a deal then we should leave with no deal - that's always been my position and I voted as the constituency would expect me to do last night."

He added: "If we get the deal through, as I hope we still will, we will now need a short technical extension, but if not we shouldn't be afraid to leave with no deal."

Mr Barclay voted against Ms May’s motion despite having concluded the debate for the government and urged MPs to support the proposal.

He finished his speech to the Commons by saying: “It is time for this House to act in the national interest, it’s time to put forward an extension that is realistic. I commend the motion put forward by the government to the House.”

Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Show all 15 1 /15 Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Pork There will be tariffs on pork in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Cheese There will be tariffs in place on some cheeses including €22.10/100kg of cheddar, €19.10/100kg of processed cheese and €18.60/100kg on some blue cheeses Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Milk There will be no tariffs in place on milk Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Car Parts There will be no tariffs on car parts imported from Europe PA Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Cars However finished cars will face tariffs of 10.6% Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Alcoholic drinks There will be no tariffs on alcoholic drinks - except on some rums due to ingredients used in their distilling process Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Beef There will be tariffs on beef in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Fish There will be no tariffs on many types of fish including cod, haddock, salmon and sea bass Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Fruit and vegetables There will be no tariffs on almost all fruit and vegetables Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Chocolate There will be no tariffs on chocolate or other cocoa products Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Poultry There will be tariffs on poultry in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Ceramics There will be some tariffs in place on ceramis Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Steel There will be no tariffs on steel Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Coal There will be no tariffs on coal Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Lamb/Mutton There will be tariffs on the meat of sheep in order to protect British farmers Getty

The motion passed by MPs on Thursday says that, if a Brexit deal is approved by the Commons by 20 March, the government will ask the UK to delay Britain's departure until the end of June.

If no withdrawal agreement is approved, however, then the extension is likely to be much longer.

Any delay will need to be signed off by all of the other 27 EU member states, with talks likely to take place at a European Council summit in Brussels at the end of next week. ​