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Britain is “ill-equipped” for Brexit talks, a top Tory Brexiteer admitted tonight as she launched a savage attack on the government’s plan for leaving the EU.

Priti Patel lashed out weeks after resigning from the Cabinet amid a scandal over undeclared meetings she held in Israel.

Despite being one of the most ardent Leave campaigners, the former International Development Secretary said: "The Government has been ill-equipped in terms of preparations for the negotiations.

"It's not an ideal state at all."

Speaking at an event in London attended by Tory activists, she said one of the Government's failings had been not setting out the economic opportunities that Brexit presented.

Ms Patel accused the government of lacking "conviction and clarity."

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

And she claimed she would have told the EU to "sod off" rather than demand an "excessive" divorce bill.

She added: "We should have had conviction and clarity in terms of our end state and destination and presented that and been pretty forthright about it as well.

"My views on money are pretty clear, I don't like spending money so I would have told the EU in particular to sod off with their excessive financial demands."

Ms Patel also called for reform in the Tory party, admitting it needed to "completely re-calibrate and start again" to take on Jeremy Corbyn .

(Image: Getty)

She said Theresa May was leading in "very challenging circumstances" and was "struggling now with a difficult set of cards post the election".

But she said: "One of the failings is we have not set out that vision, what is that vision of Britain going to look like post- Brexit ?

"What are the economic opportunities for the City of London and for many other businesses and sectors in terms of leading out in the world and potentially trading with countries we have simply not been engaged with for not just years but for decades.

"And also reflecting that the world is changing, the labour market is changing."