A former Europe minister has revealed he quit the government to table an emergency motion in parliament that could have blocked Boris Johnson from becoming prime minister.
Sir Alan Duncan‘s motion was rejected by speaker John Bercow but it exposes the depth of rifts within the Conservative Party over the expected elevation to 10 Downing Street of the Brexiteer who has vowed to take the UK out of the EU in October, deal or no deal.
At the same time Mr Johnson was warned he faces “constitutional crisis” within weeks over his “do or die” plans.
Sir John Major became the third former PM in as many days to issue a stern warning about a premiership led by Mr Johnson, who is expected to be confirmed as Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday.
Whoever succeeds Theresa May “must choose whether to be the spokesman for an ultra-Brexit faction or the servant of the nation he leads” said the former Tory premier.
“He cannot be both,” he said.
Further pro-EU ministers are expected to follow chancellor Philip Hammond, justice secretary David Gauke and international development secretary Rory Stewart in resigning before they can be sacked by Mr Johnson.
The moves came on the day Jo Swinson was elected as the first female leader of the Liberal Democrats, defeating Ed Davey in the race to replace Sir Vince Cable.
And Jeremy Corbyn outlined proposals to accelerate the expulsion of antisemites from Labour‘s ranks.
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Boris Johnson has claimed that the 1969 moon landing proves that he will be able to deliver Brexit by 31 October.
The frontrunner to take over from Theresa May this week said a "sense of mission" akin to that of the Nasa project was all that was needed to take Britain out of the EU on time.
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Tony Blair has urged Boris Johnson against calling a general election before resolving Brexit as he warned a snap poll could "shake British politics to its roots".
In comments unlikely to endear him to Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour prime minister said it would be "unjustifiable" for Mr Johnson to push for an election against the Labour leader and argued that a Final Say referendum would be his only way out of the chaos.
Writing in The Times, Mr Blair said: "A general election might be appealing. Confront people with a choice between Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister and a significant proportion of Remain voters might choose the former over the latter, despite hating Brexit.
"A full analysis of what has led the Labour Party to its present state will have to wait, but the temptation for the Tories is obvious.
"Brexit would be the reason for the election but of course it would be fought across the range of issues on which the Tories would fancy themselves against Labour.
"Such a ploy would be completely unjustifiable and would shake British politics to its roots with consequences neither Johnson nor the rest of us can predict. Resolve Brexit first."
Former Tory minister Greg Hands has laid into Sir Alan Duncan for resigning ahead of the appointment of the new PM.
He tweeted: "In my view, pre-emptive ministerial resignations (If reports are true) in case your own democratically-elected party leader is not to your liking are absurd.
"And I say that as a committed Jeremy-Hunt supporter. Such moves make a Corbyn government one step more likely."
Theresa May will chair a meeting of the government's emergency committee Cobra shortly after Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker in the Persian Gulf.
The PM is expected to receive updates from ministers and officials on the situation and will discuss the maintenance of the security of shipping in the region.
Ms May was not present at ministerial Cobra meetings over the weekend - which she spent in her Maidenhead constituency - but was kept informed of developments.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will update the Commons on the situation on Monday afternoon, amid reports that ministers are considering freezing Iranian regime assets.
It comes amid recriminations over whether the UK's focus on domestic politics was partly to blame for the the vessel being commandeered in Omani waters in the Strait of Hormuz.
Chancellor Philip Hammond's parliamentary aide, Huw Merriman, told BBC Radio 4 that the government "have dropped the ball" over the situation.
Mr Merriman said: "Just to show that I'm not the puppet of Philip Hammond or Jeremy Hunt, I take the view that we have dropped the ball here ... we did not put in place a chain where we asked all of our vessels to leave at a certain time under convoy.
"So it was hardly a surprise when one of ours got taken," he added on the Westminster Hour.
One of Liam Fox’s trade envoys has quit in protest that the government’s no-deal Brexit policy threatens the demise of an existing trade deal with Canada worth £800m.
Andrew Percy attacked the “cack-handed” move to scrap or slash tariffs on almost all imports if the UK crashes out of the EU – blaming it for Ottawa’s refusal to “roll over” its existing deal with the EU.
The Conservative MP felt “patronised” by the international trade secretary when he warned him the announcement would backfire, The Independent understands, walking away after almost two years in the Canada role.
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In another headache for Boris Johnson before he even enters No 10, a new poll shows he could struggle to build a majority because of his "Scotland problem".
The POLITICO/Hanbury survey of clusters of marginal seats across England and Scotland, found Johnson was the preferred choice over Jeremy Hunt in the North West, East Midlands and London.
But in Scotland he trails by a huge margin - on 19 per cent compared to Hunt's 32 per cent. This is significant because Theresa May was able to build a fragile working majority due to the 13 Scottish Tory MPs elected in 2017. If those seats are lost, Mr Johnson may struggle to get over the line.
Brussels is drawing up a multi-billion pound aid package for Ireland to shield it from the effects of a no-deal Brexit, it has been reported.
A senior EU diplomat told The Times newspaper that the bloc would "spend whatever was necessary" to support Ireland.
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay earlier this month warned Ireland that a no-deal Brexit would damage its economy more than it damaged the UK.
The PM’s official spokesman told a Westminster media briefing: “We are clear that the seizure of the British-flagged, Swedish-owned Stena Impero on Friday was illegal under international law.
“The PM is chairing a meeting of Cobra this morning to discuss the UK response to the current tension and options for strengthening current reassurance to commercial shipping.”
The spokesman confirmed that the security level for UK shipping in the Gulf was raised to its highest level earlier this month, advising vessels to stay out of the area.
“This ship was seized under false and illegal pretences and the Iranians should release it and its crew immediately,” said the spokesman.
“The foreign secretary spoke to Iranian foreign minister (Mohammad Javad) Zarif to make this demand.
“We do not seek confrontation with Iran, but it is unacceptable and highly escalatory to seize a ship going about legitimate business through internationally recognised shipping lanes.”
Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt will update MPs later with a statement to the Commons.
The PM’s spokesman rejected Tory MP Huw Merriman’s claim that the government had “dropped the ball” over the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are committed to ensuring freedom of navigation is maintained in the Gulf. That’s why the UK has had a permanent presence in the Gulf since the early 1980s,” said the spokesman. “Earlier this month, HMS Montrose successfully prevented three Iranian vessels from impeding the passage of a British-flagged commercial vessel.
“However, the high volume of ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz – up to 30 ships covering more than 100 nautical miles – makes it impossible to escort vessels individually.
“We already work closely with international partners to ensure a co-ordinated effort to defend freedom of navigation. This includes sharing information on threats to shipping and offering mutual protection for each others’ vessels.”
Responding to reports that the US had offered military assets to help protect UK ships in the Gulf, the spokesman said: “There has never been a US offer that has involved them escorting all UK ships.
“The US has been discussing with a number of countries, including the UK, how we might deliver maritime security in the face of recent threats to shipping.”
Responding to claims that the Royal Navy had been cut too far as a result of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the PM’s spokesman said: “We always said that we will ensure we have all the capability that we need in order to protect the UK and serve its interests.
“We have the largest military budget in Europe. We are investing in a world-class Royal Navy.”
Gordon Brown has accused Boris Johnson of preparing to push the British economy "off a cliff" with his determination to deliver Brexit by the end of October, "do or die".
Ahead of Mr Johnson's expected election on Tuesday as Tory leader, the former Labour PM said a no-deal break with the EU would be a "self-inflicted wound" comparable in military terms to the Charge of the Light Brigade.
In a speech to the Hope Not Hate campaign in London, Mr Brown warned the Brexiteers were in danger of descending into a brand of "paranoid nationalism" which risked breaking up the United Kingdom.
He said that Mr Johnson may be fated to be remembered by history "not as the 55th prime minister of the UK but as the first prime minister of England".
Despite being chosen by an electorate smaller than that which voted for Ed Balls on Strictly Come Dancing, Mr Brown said the Tory leadership favourite was heading for a "chaotic, damaging and dangerous" no-deal break.
"The message to Boris Johnson is plain and urgent: Don't push Britain off a cliff on October 31," he said.
