Conservative party vice-chairs Ben Bradley and Maria Caulfield quit over Chequers Brexit agreement

Conservative party vice-chairs Ben Bradley and Maria Caulfield have become the latest government MPs to resign over Theresa May’s Chequers Brexit plan.

The pair’s resignations put even more pressure on the Prime Minister in a turbulent week which has seen a number of senior ministers quit in protest at the plan, which was announced on Friday.

Foreign secretary Boris Johnson left his post yesterday, while Brexit secretary David Davis resigned late on Sunday evening.

In his resignation letter to the PM, Bradley said:

As the MP for Mansfield, I believe that the almost three-quarters of local people who voted Leave did so wanting to give Britain control of its own destiny, its borders and its laws.

I was elected last year on the back of a campaign that focused on your leadership, and on delivering Brexit. I hope that under your continued leadership we can make the necessary changes to these proposals and fulfil the promise we made to the electorate.

Caulfield’s letter expressed a similar sentiment, adding: “Having attended the briefings provided for members of Parliament, I cannot support the direction of travel in the Brexit negotiations which, in my view, do not fully embrace the opportunities that Brexit can provide.”

Bradley is a Remain supporting MP who presides over a prominent Leave constituency, while Caulfield supports Leave but sits in a Remain seat.