Damian Green was blamed tonight for a breakdown in communications with the Democratic Unionist Party which has thrown the Brexit talks into chaos.

Theresa May’s plans to agree the terms of Britain’s exit from the European Union on Monday were thrown into chaos when the DUP said it could not accept plans to treat Northern Ireland differently to the UK after leaving the EU in 2019.

The Monday lunchtime intervention by DUP leader Arlene Foster - whose 10 MPs are keeping the minority Tory Government in office - meant that a choreographed unveiling of the deal by Mrs May later that day and yesterday in Parliament had to be abandoned.

Earlier today DUP figures laid part of the blame at the door of Mr Green, the First Secretary of State who is already mired in a Whitehall probe about his personal behaviour.

Mr Green is the chairman of a key Coordination Committee which is meant to ensure that the DUP MPs are briefed on upcoming Government plans.

However senior DUP sources were appalled that Mr Green made no attempt to brief them on the text of the Brexit deal before they were sent it on Monday.