Jeremy Hunt has issued a stark warning to Tory rebels that Brexit will not happen if Theresa May is ousted as Prime Minister.

The Health Secretary became the first member of the Cabinet to openly raise the prospect that Brexit might not happen when he appeared on ITV's Peston on Sunday programme today.

His comments come on the eve of a crucial meeting between Mrs May and Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President, that could determine whether trade talks begin later this month.

Mr Hunt said: "The choice we face now is not between this Brexit and that Brexit, if we don’t back Theresa May we will have no Brexit and she is doing an unbelievably challenging job amazingly well."

Mr Hunt was speaking after the Telegraph disclosed that senior Tories have warned Mrs May against a "compromise" on the role of the European Court of Justice that they say could mean European judges overseeing British trade disputes.