No deal Brexit? No fear, says Gavin Williamson

The Education Secretary said MPs had acted in a "completely reckless manner" by seizing control of Parliament and backing anti-Brexit legislation.

He warned they had made a no-deal Brexit more likely but insisted the UK would be "an enormous success" regardless of how it left the bloc.

The South Staffordshire MP spoke to the Express & Star after a torrid week for the Government, which saw Remainer MPs vote to delay Brexit into the new year and 24 Tory MPs either sacked or announcing their departures from the party.

"It is quite obvious that there are a lot of MPs who quite simply do not want to deliver on the people's wishes to exit the EU," he said during a visit to the Rural Enterprise Academy in Penkridge.

"The Labour Party, the Liberals and the SNP are all conspiring together to stop us from leaving the EU and as we have seen over the last week, they will stop at nothing to prevent the Prime Minister from delivering Brexit on October 31.

"We are committed to getting out, so it is rather sad that the people who voted in support of this bill have acted in a completely reckless manner.

"They have undermined Britain's national interest. What they seem to be doing is trying to surrender to the EU which makes it so much more challenging for the country to get a deal."

Mr Williamson added: "It is quite shameful that they have chosen to go down this route.

"I firmly believe that Britain will be an enormous success whatever happens with Brexit, because of the resourcefulness, the imagination and the skills of the British people.

"I don't fear exiting the EU without a deal. It is in Europe's interests to make sure that our departure is as amicable as possible, but I am certain that in the long run we will have a very positive relationship with Europe with or without a deal.

"Britain's exit from the EU has been delayed far too often. It is time that people stopped frustrating our departure."

His comments came as Boris Johnson prepared to push for an October 15 general election on Monday, after his first effort for a national poll was voted down last week.

But the chances of his plan gaining enough Commons support appear to have disappeared, with opposition parties confirming plans to would oppose the motion.

Attempting to explain the decision, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said Boris Johnson was "as slippery as can be" and could not be trusted over the timing of polling day.

"If we vote to have a general election then, no matter what it is that Boris Johnson promises, it is up to him to advise the Queen when the general election should be," she said.

"Given that he has shown himself to be a manifest liar and somebody who has said that he would 'die in a ditch' rather than stop no-deal, and indeed his adviser (Dominic) Cummings has been swearing and shouting at MPs saying 'They are leaving on October 31, no matter what', our first priority has to be that we must stop no-deal and we must make sure that is going to happen."

Ms Thornberry also prompted further confusion over Labour's Brexit position, telling a Question Time audience that if in government, she would negotiate a Brexit deal with the EU and then vote against it in Parliament.

Meanwhile the number of Conservative MPs heading out of the door reached 25 when former Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon announced he will stand down at the next election.

He joined Philip Lee, who crossed the floor to join the Lib Dems, the Prime Minister's brother Jo Johnson, Claire Perry, and 21 MPs who were sacked for going against the Government in a crucial Brexit vote.

Mr Fallon, 67, said he had been planning to stand down at the end of the current parliament, but warned that sacking MPs sent out the wrong message to voters.

"I also worry that it sends the wrong message to Remainers – particularly in my party," he added.

"I think, by definition, some five million Conservatives must have voted remain and we have got to be very careful not to drive them into the hands of Remainer parties like the Liberal Democrats or the SNP."