Tory MP calls for abstaining no-deal ministers Greg Clark, Amber Rudd and David Gauke to resign

Ministers who defied the government by abstaining in the no-deal Brexit vote should resign, according to a Tory MP.

Andrea Jenkyns called on the likes of Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark to step down after they failed to back the government - despite being whipped.

MPs voted to take no-deal off the table entirely under all circumstances.

Despite being whipped, Downing Street has decided not to sack ministers who abstained, something which has caused outcry in the Conservative Party.

Speaking on ITV's Peston, Ms Jenkyns said it would be the right thing for the ministers to resign, arguing that there was "no strong leadership" at the top of government.

Greg Clark defended his decision to abstain from the vote. Credit: Peston

Responding to claims that collective responsibility had been destroyed in the Cabinet, Ms Jenkyns said: "The Prime Minister should have been firm weeks ago when the ministers came to her and threatened to resign.

"She should have said give us your pass, leave now."

She added: "I think him [Greg Clark] and the other ministers should resign actually.

"Because at the end of the day I resigned from my bag-carrying role.

"I was the first one to resign for Brexit because I believe in the ministerial code that everybody who is part of government should sign up to.

"We're in this mess because at the top there's no strong leadership unfortunately."

Mr Clark, like many ministers who abstained, had been clear for a number of weeks that he wished to avoid a no-deal scenario.

Speaking to Peston, Clark said Wednesday's vote represented the "final chance" to take no-deal off the table.

"I know from my job as business secretary, talking to businesses including calls that I've had today, just how important it is that they know we won't inadvertently crash out of the EU without a deal on the 29 of March," Clark said.

"If the motion had not gone through tonight that would have been it - Parliament would have had no further chance of preventing that.

"It's always been government policy to leave with a deal rather than without a deal on 29 March."