EU campaign exposes Conservative Party split

Divisions at the top of the Conservative Party over Europe were laid bare as senior ministers clashed over whether the deal secured by David Cameron will be legally binding on European courts.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove and justice minister Dominic Raab insisted the European Court of Justice (ECJ) would not be bound by the agreement, which was being lodged with the United Nations (UN) on Wednesday.

But Downing Street said registering the agreement with the UN “put beyond doubt the fact that it is legally binding and irreversible in international law”, while the Government’s senior law officer, Attorney General Jeremy Wright, insisted that the ECJ “must take it into account”.

The row came as No 10 was forced to apologise to special forces general Sir Michael Rose after incorrectly including his name in a letter from senior military commanders warning that Brexit posed a threat to security.

Meanwhile, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned that British withdrawal would be bad for both the UK and the EU.

Christine Lagarde told CNN: “My hunch … is that it is bound to be a negative on all fronts.

“For those that stay, because there are fewer of them, and for those who go, because they lose the benefit of (that) facilitation of exchange.”

Justice Secretary Michael Gove.