Penny Mordaunt sparks suspicions she will mount Tory leadership bid after following string of Tory town hall chiefs on Twitter

BREXITEER minister Penny Mordaunt sparked fresh fears she will quit the Cabinet after refusing to back the PM’s deal.

In her first public appearance since Theresa May published her draft Brexit deal last week, the International Development Secretary dodged questions from The Sun today over whether she supported it.

And friends of Ms Mordaunt said resolving the contentious issue of the Irish backstop is a “critical issue” for her – triggering fresh fears in No10 that she’s on the verge of resigning.

An ally said: “She wants the backstop toughened up.”

The Irish backstop is part of the 585-page withdrawal agreement but Ms Mordaunt – a leading Vote Leave campaigner during the referendum – has expressed concerns that it risks leaving Britain tied to the EU’s customs union indefinitely.

But Mrs May has already made clear she’s not prepared to reopen negotiations with the EU over the withdrawal agreement.

Ms Mordaunt was on the verge of quitting last week over the deal. She stunned colleagues at the crunch Cabinet meeting that approved the deal when she asked the PM to give ministers a free vote on the final deal in Parliament.

She wants the Government to suspend collective government responsibility when the deal comes to the Commons next month.

The PM has so far refused her request but Ms Mordaunt has chosen to stay in the Cabinet to fight for change.

Meanwhile Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has ruled out leaving the Government ahead of the Brexit vote in Parliament – expected to be around December 11.

She joined Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and trade boss Liam Fox in staying within the Cabinet.

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