Amber Rudd quit the Cabinet and the Conservative Party on Saturday night, attacking the “short-sighted” ousting of pro-EU MPs and saying she believed Boris Johnson was now aiming for a no-deal Brexit.

In a letter to Mr Johnson, the Work and Pensions Secretary insisted she had joined the Cabinet in “good faith” but said she was no longer convinced that “leaving with a deal is the Government’s main objective”.

Ms Rudd’s resignation, on the eve of Mr Johnson’s second attempt to secure an election, will fuel an already seismic row in the Conservative Party over its stance on Brexit, with sources claiming more MPs are preparing to quit on Monday.

On Saturday night a senior government source accused the MP of resigning to “chase headlines” and warned: “As the polls show, the public do not back attempts by some MPs to cancel the referendum.”

It comes as the Prime Minister’s advisers prepare for a Supreme Court showdown over MPs’ plans to delay Brexit. Downing Street aides are also drawing up plans to “sabotage” the EU’s structures if Brussels grants an extension against his will.