Brexit could be delayed by 'a couple of weeks' to pass Commons legislation, Andrea Leadsom says

Leader of House says it would be 'feasible' for the UK to remain in the EU after scheduled exit date of 29 March

Brexit could be delayed by a “couple of weeks” in order to get crucial legislation through the Commons, a senior minister has said.

Andrea Leadsom has become the first of Theresa May's top MPs to publicly acknowledge Britain may have to extend the process of leaving the European Union.

The prominent Brexiteer insisted it would be "feasible" to remain in the bloc for a short time after the scheduled exit date of 29 March.

“We can get the legislation through. And in particular I think we do, in spite of everything, have a very strong relationship with our EU friends and neighbours and I'm absolutely certain that if we needed a couple of extra weeks or something, that that would be feasible,” Ms Leadsom told BBC2's Newsnight.

The leader of the House of Commons made the claim as Westminster remained deadlocked in the wake of Ms May’s historic defeat on her Brexit deal.

"I think we would want to think carefully about it. But as things stand, I do feel that we can get, with the support of both Houses, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, with goodwill and a determination, we can still get the legislation through in time,” she said.

Ms Leadsom also called for cabinet unity, insisting Britain could still leave the EU without a deal at the end of March.

"I'm totally aligned to the prime minister. I believe that is where collective responsibility should lie.”

The comments come as Philip Hammond refused to rule out resigning if Ms May decides to pursue a no-deal Brexit.

Asked repeatedly whether he would continue on as chancellor under that scenario, Mr Hammond told the Today programme: “I’m not going to speculate because a lot depends on the circumstances, what happens.

“The responsibility I have is to manage the economy in what is the best interests of the British people.”

Pressure has been mounting on the prime minister, as Amber Rudd also hinted she could resign from the front bench to prevent Ms May from crashing the UK out with no-deal.

During a BBC Newsnight interview, Ms Rudd was asked three times whether she would quit the cabinet.

She said: “At this stage I’m going to stick to trying to persuade the government to allow it to be a free vote. There is a lot taking place and there are a lot of new amendments.

“We’ll have to wait and see.”

Additional reporting by agencies