A former British cabinet minister who resigned has said she believes Boris Johnson's government is more focused on preparing for a no-deal Brexit than securing a deal.
Amber Rudd resigned from cabinet and the Conservative party last night.
She sharply criticised Boris Johnson for expelling 21 Tory rebel MPs from the party for voting against him to block a no-deal exit from the EU.
I have resigned from Cabinet and surrendered the Conservative Whip.
I cannot stand by as good, loyal moderate Conservatives are expelled.
I have spoken to the PM and my Association Chairman to explain.
I remain committed to the One Nation values that drew me into politics. pic.twitter.com/kYmZHbLMES— Amber Rudd (@AmberRuddUK) September 7, 2019
Speaking on BBC's Andrew Marr Show this morning, she argued: "I have not seen enough work going into actually trying to get a [Brexit] deal.
"You might expect in the balance between getting a deal and no deal... 50/50 in terms of work. But it's not that - it's like 80-90% of government time going into no deal."
However, British foreign secretary Dominic Raab insisted progress has been made - telling Sky News the government has been "following up" on Mr Johnson's efforts at the recent G7 summit.
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach and British prime minister are set for their first formal bilateral meeting in Dublin tomorrow.
A spokesperson said the Taoiseach will tell Mr Johnson that the EU and Ireland are still committed to securing a Brexit deal.
However, Mr Varadkar will also stress they're making "all necessary arrangements to manage a no deal in the absence of any realistic, legally binding or workable alternatives".
