Theresa May warned her warring ministers that her deal was the only Brexit plan available today.

Downing Street intervened after Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said she could 'see the argument' for a new referendum if Parliament votes down the deal.

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom hit back to say a new vote was 'unacceptable' - but then backed another alternative to the PM's deal, a so-called 'managed no deal'.

Mrs May's official spokesman said both ministers had backed the deal - but insisted alternatives are not available.

The PM has repeatedly ruled out a second referendum while senior ministers have rubbished the idea of a 'managed no deal', which would see no full divorce deal but a series of side agreements to mitigate the impact of crashing out, as a 'unicorn'.

Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street today) warned her warring ministers that her deal was the only Brexit plan available today. She was flanked by her Cabinet at the UK-Poland summit in Lancaster House today (pictured)

Amber Rudd (pictured left last night on Peston) has triggered a new split in the Cabinet by hinting at support for a second referendum on Brexit - while Andrea Leadsom (right today in Westminster) said that would be 'unacceptable' and endorsed a 'managed no deal'

Asked if a second referendum was plausible if Parliament remains gridlocked, the spokesman said: 'No.

'The Work and Pensions Secretary has been clear on three things: the priority is to get the vote through Parliament, she does not want a people's vote or a referendum, and she has asked all colleagues to support the Government's deal.

'As you know the Prime Minister has been very clear on the dangers of calling a second referendum. She is focused on winning the vote on the deal that has been agreed.'

Asked about Mrs Leadsom's comments on a managed no-deal Brexit, he added: 'The Leader of the House was clear this is not Government policy.

'This is not something that is available. The EU has been very clear that there is no withdrawal agreement available that does not include a backstop.'

Justice Secretary David Gauke reportedly told Cabinet a 'managed no deal' was a 'unicorn'. While the discussion was confidential Mr Gauke tweeted a picture of himself with a plastic unicorn today with the hash tag #SecretSanta

Ms Rudd also backed the idea of an indicative vote to find which Brexit options MPs would be prepared to support if the Prime Minister's deal is rejected.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told ITV's Peston: 'I don't want a people's vote, or a referendum in general, but if Parliament absolutely failed to reach a consensus I could see there would be a plausible argument for it.'

She added: 'Parliament has to reach a majority on how it's going to leave the European Union.

No deal notices re-written to remove claim it is 'unlikely' Britain will crash out The Government has re-written more than 100 no deal notices to remove claims it is 'unlikely' there will be not be a divorce agreement in place. The move has been rolled out since the Cabinet decided to activate more than 300 no deal plans on Tuesday. Some 3,500 troops have been put on standby while businesses and families have been warned to prepare themselves for no deal. Notices published in the summer insisted no deal was an 'unlikely scenario'. Now they say: 'This technical notice offers guidance for continued planning in the event of no deal offers guidance for continued planning in the event of no deal.' Advertisement

'If it fails to do so, then I can see the argument for taking it back to the people again, much as it would distress many of my colleagues.'

Ms Rudd said an indicative vote would 'flush out' MPs by forcing them to show their support for one option or another, and encourage those whose favoured ideas are rejected to reach a compromise.

'We are going to have to find a way, as MPs, of working together to find a consensus, of agreeing on how to stop no-deal taking place,' she said.

Mrs Leadsom hit back at Ms Rudd, saying a second referendum would be 'unacceptable'.

She told the Today programme: 'It's not Government policy. I myself think it would undermine the biggest democratic exercise ever, where we had a clear majority to leave the European Union.

'To have a second referendum would unfortunately be going back to people and telling them they have got it wrong and they needed to try again.

'I think it would be unacceptable.'

Senior ministers turned out alongside the PM (pictured) for bilateral talks on Brexit, defence and security issues

Mrs Leadsom confirmed she had been looking at a 'managed no-deal' Brexit as an 'alternative solution' to the Prime Minister's deal if that cannot get through Parliament.

She said: ''No-deal' implies that we leave in March and there are absolutely no agreements whatsoever.

'But what we already saw yesterday, in the EU's preparations which they have very belatedly started to make for no deal, is that there are going to be agreements on things like aviation, on things like haulage, on things like tourist travellers and so on.'

She added: 'A managed no-deal does not necessarily mean there is no Withdrawal Agreement at all.

'This is all speculation, but what I am looking at is trying to find an alternative that, in the event we cannot agree to this deal, that there could be a further deal that looks at a more minimalist approach that allows us to leave with some kind of deal and some kind of implementation period that avoids a cliff edge, that avoids uncertainty for businesses and travellers and so on.'

Ms Rudd said she still supported Mrs May's Brexit deal but accepted it might have difficulty passing through the House of Commons due to the opposition of MPs

Miss Rudd has already indicated she would rather quit than oversee a no-deal Brexit and yesterday it emerged that such an outcome could leave Mrs May to face a Cabinet walkout. Justice Secretary David Gauke suggested 'many' senior ministers could resign.

Sources say Chancellor Philip Hammond, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington and Business Secretary Greg Clark are also 'deeply opposed' to any switch to a no-deal strategy.

Climate change minister Claire Perry suggested she would rather delay Britain's exit from the EU than leave without a deal.

Miss Rudd's comments were seized on by pro-EU campaigners.

Labour's Owen Smith, a backer of anti-Brexit group Best for Britain, said: 'Amber Rudd may be the first Tory Cabinet member to say she'd rather have a people's vote than allow a catastrophic no-deal to unfold, but she won't be the last.

'This is a massive moment for our campaign.'

Meanwhile Ireland followed the UK and the European Union in setting out the latest stages of its no-deal Brexit planning.

'In many significant ways, a no-deal Brexit would pose unique, unprecedented and extremely difficult challenges for the EU, including Ireland, and especially the UK,' the Irish Government document said.

As part of the plan, Dublin Port is creating extra parking for hundreds of trucks from the UK awaiting inspection after Brexit.

In London, Mrs May will meet her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki for talks.

The discussions are expected to focus on defence and security co-operation, but come as the Prime Minister is desperately trying to secure further reassurances from EU leaders about the Northern Ireland backstop measures in the Brexit deal before the crunch Commons vote in the week commencing January 14.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who met the Prime Minister on Wednesday, said Mrs May's goals were 'a wee bit nebulous'.

'There's not a lot of detail there,' Ms Sturgeon said.

'She says she's working with the EU, trying to find assurances. I pressed her to give a bit more detail on that. I have to say it wasn't forthcoming.'

However, the European Union has produced warnings about the possible impact of a no-deal Brexit.

EU Commission president Jean-Claude Junker described Britain crashing out of Europe as a 'disaster' creating the worst border disruption 'since wartime'.

He warned British tourists face flight disruption and tailbacks at ports if there is no deal agreed by the end of March.

The warnings came as the EU ramped up its no-deal advice to member states by approving 14 fresh contingency measures.