Amber Rudd denies being a 'sell-out' over no-deal Brexit u-turn

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UKAmber Rudd has denied being a ‘sell-out’ after making a major u-turn over her stance on a no-deal Brexit.

The work and pensions secretary had been a staunch critic of leaving the EU without a deal in place, but in July she said she had accepted that ‘no deal is part of the armoury’.

Ms Rudd was quizzed today on whether she agreed with accusations she ‘sold her soul’ in order to protect her own cabinet job.

Asked if she was a ‘sell-out’ she told ITV: "I don't think so no.

“I think that everybody has to think very carefully about what they can add to a cabinet and about what they can support, and I am comfortable with what I've decided to do.”

Ms Rudd, who supported Remain during the Brexit referendum, previously teamed up with fellow ministers David gauge and Greg Clarke to try and force Theresa May to rule out a no-deal Brexit.

She changed her mind during the Conservative leadership election in what was widely viewed as a pitch to keep hold of her senior position.

She said today: “In this job everybody will launch some sort of criticism at whatever decision you make.

“I made a decision to back a candidate in the leadership race, which initially was Jeremy Hunt, who was very clear that we needed to have no deal as part of the armoury in a negotiation.

“Having done that I made my own decision to compromise on that basis and to go ahead. Then Prime Minister Boris Johnson put his own cabinet together."

Ms Rudd was one of the few ministers to keep her job after Boris Johnson took over from Theresa May and carried out a brutal cull of top ministers, selecting staunch Brexiteers for many of the highest offices.

Mr Johnson has repeatedly said he is willing to take the UK out of the EU without a deal and has refused to rule out suspending Parliament in order to push through a no-deal Brexit.

However his plans could be blown off course early next month after a judge agreed to fast-track a hearing on whether the Prime Minister can legally suspend Parliament to force through no deal.

Anti-Brexit campaigners – including more than 70 MPs and peers – filed a petition at the Court of Session in Edinburgh to attempt to stop Mr Johnson from being able to prorogue Parliament.

Judge Lord Raymond Doherty agreed to expedite the timetable for the legal challenge to take place, setting the date for the substantive hearing as Friday September 6.

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