Liz Truss, chief secretary to the Treasury, Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary and Alun Cairns, the Welsh secretary, outside No 10

Cabinet ministers yesterday “wargamed” how they might call a general election to break the Brexit deadlock.

In an emergency meeting ministers debated whether they would have any choice other than to call an election if the UK were forced into a long Brexit delay or a softer Brexit.

The debate came after Steve Barclay, the Brexit secretary, warned on Sunday that the risk of a general election was increasing.

During the meeting Geoffrey Cox, the attorney-general, Sajid Javid, the home secretary, and Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the House, were said to have agreed with Mr Barclay that if MPs mandate a long Brexit extension and a softer Brexit then an election might be inevitable. “It’s not just scaremongering, it’s the only way out