Theresa May defends her Chequers Brexit plans – at exactly the same moment Boris shreds them in the Commons

THERESA May has defended her Chequers Brexit plans again today - just as Boris Johnson trashed them in the House of Commons.

The Prime Minister told the influential liaison committee this afternoon that her deal delivers on last year's referendum result - and a trade agreement was still on the cards with the US.

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She was speaking at the same time as her ex-Foreign Secretary stepped up to give a devastating resignation speech in front of MPs this afternoon.

He blasted the Prime Minister for "dithering" in the EU negotiations and allowing "a fog of self-doubt" to descend - but vowed it was "not too late" to save Brexit.

But Mrs May insisted that her deal is giving a proper Brexit, not just a "Brexit in name only" as Boris insisted.

She told the committee: "We are delivering on what people voted for, like an end to free movement, but in a way that protects jobs."

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Last night Mrs May threatened rebel Remainers with a summer election - which could put Jeremy Corbyn in No10 - if they didn't back her controversial Brexit plans.

Today she went out again to defend them to MPs, as Boris went on to trash them.

After the meeting she said she probably wouldn't be watching his resignation speech - because she would be "doing my red box" instead.

She said she was confident we would be able to "maintain a good trading relationships with the EU and improve trading relationship around the world".

In response to Brexiteer Sir Bill Cash's concerns about the European Court of Justice she said: "the European Court of Justice would not determine any dispute" - but we could ask them for their opinions.

Mrs May said that her "novel" ideas for the Northern Ireland border are doing "what we think is going to be best for the UK" - but that all departments are stepping up their proposals for no-deal.

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Some MPs have suggested that we should "pay any price" to get a good deal with the EU, she said, but that was not the right way to go.

She revealed today that the Home Office has been given £395million, HMRC £260million and Defra £310million to prepare for that outcome, and technical notices will soon be sent out to businesses.

Despite this, she stressed that she "did not believe" Britain was getting closer to a no-deal scenario.

But she did admit that some elements of her plans may not be ready by the end of a transition.

She said: "There is a question as to the speed with which the repayment mechanism would be in place. So far the suggestion is that could take longer to be put into place."

In the hearing she also:

• Insisted she did not show Angela Merkel or other EU leaders her White Paper before it was published
• Said discussions would continue on just how tariffs would be collected betwene the UK and the EU after Brexit
• Refused to say Britain would be economically worse off after we leave
• Promised again that "no deal is better than a bad deal"

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But Labour's Yvette Cooper went on to say she was "baffled" over the details of her plans to collect tariffs on behalf of the EU.

Mrs May struggled to explain exactly how it would work and who would collect the money.

Ms Cooper stormed: "Everybody is confused and nobody trusts what the Government is saying."