David Davis says Brexit plan will not 'jeopardise our position'

Tensions within the Conservative Party over the Government's plans for Brexit have been exposed during a Commons debate.

Brexit Secretary David Davis promised MPs that the Government will set out its "strategic plans" before triggering the formal process to withdraw the UK from the EU, but said it will not reveal anything which might "jeopardise our negotiating position".

Mr Davis faced calls from Opposition MPs and some Conservative backbenchers for the plan to be detailed enough to be subject to rigorous scrutiny in the Commons before the planned launch of negotiations under Article 50 in March 2017.

During the debate, Europhile former chancellor Kenneth Clarke said Mrs May's promise to reveal her plan was "extremely vague", and called for it to be set out in detail in a white paper for publication before Article 50 is invoked.

But Mr Davis insisted the Government must retain "room for manoeuvre" to respond with "a high degree of agility and speed" to developments in extremely complex negotiations expected to last up to two years.

Mr Clarke said: "It is sadly clear from the constant remarks made to the newspapers and the leaks from now and again that, at the moment, ministers have no idea what the strategy is anyway, and they don't actually agree with each other."

Responding to an Opposition day motion in the Commons calling on the Government to reveal its plans, Mr Davis challenged Labour to show it was not trying to "thwart or delay" Brexit.

Labour is backing an amendment tabled in the Prime Minister's name which accepts the call for a plan to be released, but also backs Mrs May's timetable of triggering Article 50 by the end of March.

Mr Davis told MPs: "We are happy to support the spirit of today's motion with the caveat that nothing we say will jeopardise our negotiating position.

"Many on the benches opposite pay lip service to respecting the result of the referendum, while at the same time trying to find new ways to thwart and delay.

"The shadow cabinet cannot even decide whether it respects the will of the people ... Today we will see whether they are prepared to back Britain, support our plan to follow the instructions of the British people and leave the European Union.

"This Government is absolutely determined to honour that decision made by the people of Britain on 23 June."

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer insisted that Labour did not intend to "frustrate or delay" the PM's timetable for triggering Article 50.

But he said the plan must set out whether the Government intends to keep Britain in the European single market or customs union - and whether it intends to seek a transitional arrangement to cover the period immediately after Brexit.

MPs are due to vote at around 7pm on the amendment binding them to back the Government's Article 50 timetable.

They will then vote on the Labour motion calling on the Prime Minister to commit to publishing a Brexit plan before Article 50 is triggered.

The debate came as the Government was embroiled in day three of its Brexit battle in the Supreme Court.