Conservative leadership contender Esther McVey has said she would be ready to ask the Queen to suspend parliament to stop MPs blocking Brexit.

Ms McVey said that the move – known as “prorogation” – would not be her preferred option as prime minister if it looked likely that the Commons was planning to stop a no-deal withdrawal in October.

But asked on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show whether she would be ready to do so if necessary, she said: “I wouldn’t be looking to do that. I have said I would use every tool at my disposal, so that would include that.

“It wouldn’t be my priority and I wouldn’t be looking to do that. I would be using what was in my toolkit.”

But leadership rival Michael Gove insisted that proroguing parliament to stop MPs from sitting in the days and weeks before the Halloween deadline for Brexit would be “wrong”.

Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Show all 3 1 /3 Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Boris Johnson - 157 votes Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arriving in Downing Street, London, for a Cabinet meeting where Theresa May will brief on her plans for Brexit before a major speech aimed at helping to break the deadlock in the negotiations with Brussels. PA Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Michael Gove - 61 votes LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 07: Britain's Environment Secretary Michael Gove leaves 10 Downing Street on June 7, 2018 in London, England. Prime Minister Theresa May is holding an emergency Brexit cabinet meeting in an attempt to resolve tensions over the UK's Irish border plan. (Photo by Simon Dawson/Getty Images) Getty Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Jeremy Hunt - 59 votes Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt leaving Downing Street, London, after attending a Cabinet meeting. PA

Mr Gove told Marr: “I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. We live in a parliamentary democracy. Parliament must vote in order to ensure we leave the EU.

“Proroguing parliament in order to try to get no-deal through, I think, would be wrong for many reasons.