Theresa May is being urged by Cabinet Ministers to strip Liz Truss of her role as Lord Chancellor and break up the Ministry of Justice amid concerns the department is "not fit for purpose".

Senior Government sources have told The Daily Telegraph that a series of embarrassing mistakes have prompted "concerns at the very top that a major overhaul is needed" which could involve removing responsibility from the MoJ.

In an attack on Ms Truss, colleagues highlighted a number of high-profile errors over the last couple of months including the justice secretary's apparent refusal to defend high court judges after they came under attack over the Brexit court case.

Her errors have led to criticism from the most senior members of the judiciary.