Bies’ in Tory spat

minister Claire Perry attacking ‘hard-Brexit jihadis’. Yesterday, Government sources denied the ‘death cult’ comment was made by anyone at No 10, after which Mr Baker said he was ‘glad to have received clarification’.

On the other side of the debate, pro-Remain justice minister Rory Stewart hit out yesterday at those pushing for a Brexit delay.

Mr Stewart said extending Article 50 – the formal process for the country’s departure from the EU – for a couple of months would ‘achieve nothing’. He told Sky News: ‘It would put us in a world in which we were still a zombie world, not knowing where we’re going and it would increase the chance of other options. It would increase the chance of people either pushing for a general election which wouldn’t solve everything, for another referendum which I think would solve nothing at all.

‘It would just tell us what we already know, which is that the country is divided, or it would push people towards a customs union which would stop us being able to trade with the rest of the world.

‘So all these other options are worse options.’