Mark Francois has revealed how he will celebrate Britain officially cutting ties with the European Union. The remark came as he criticised Business Secretary Greg Clark, who warned there will be “many thousands of jobs” lost in the event of a no deal Brexit. Both Conservative leadership candidates have said they would be willing for the UK to leave the EU without a deal. Mark Francois, the Tory MP for Rayleigh and Wickford launched a scathing attack on the cabinet minister after the remarks.

He said: “He is an arch-remainer. He voted Remain, he’s always argued for Remain.

“He’s never going to change his mind.

“Once we have left, I believe I will be right and he will be wrong.”

He added: “On the morning of the first of November, the sun will rise on a free country. I intend to stay up to see it happen.”

He’s never going to change his mind

Mark Francois

The scathing attack comes after Business Secretary Greg Clark told Sky News that “many thousands of jobs” could be lost if there is a no deal Brexit.

He said: “I think that every person who considers the evidence that companies have given, whether it’s in the automotive sector, whether it’s in the food sector, whether it’s in aerospace, whether it’s in industries up and down the country.

“You know if you become less efficient and your ability to trade is impeded then of course losing your competitiveness means that there will be jobs that will be lost.”

A spokeswoman for Theresa May told a Westminster briefing: “The Prime Minister has always been clear that leaving without a deal would be disruptive.”

Theresa May’s de-facto deputy, David Lidington, has claimed a no deal Brexit will increase pressure on the union.

Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, the Cabinet Office minister said: “I think the union of the United Kingdom is under pressure at the moment.

“The fact that in the 2016 Europe referendum two nations of the UK voted to leave, two nations voted to remain, inevitably makes this a very difficult, delicate process. I think that with good will and a good deal, those tensions can be handled, but I think that the risk of no-deal is two-fold.

“I believe a no-deal outcome would do very serious harm to jobs, living standards and investment in the United Kingdom, and that is the consistent message I’ve been getting from businesses large and small.

“But also I think the pressures on the union would be greater because I think that damage that a no-deal exit would cause, the very divisive nature of the politics of such an outcome, would give heart and opportunities to those who, particularly in Scotland and in Northern Ireland, would like to see the United Kingdom as it currently exists brought to an end.

“Whereas I believe that the UK is a tremendously successful political and economic project that’s given great benefit to everyone living in it.”

The UK is scheduled to leave the European Union by the end of October this year.

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Both Boris Johnson as Jeremy Hunt have said they would be willing to pull the UK out of the EU without a deal.

But, the Foreign Secretary has ruled out proroguing Parliament to ensure Brexit is delivered on its departure date.

Speaking at a hustings in Kent last night, Tory favourite Mr Johnson said “common sense” would prevail and MPs would support his efforts to take the UK out of the EU.

He said: “When John Major talks about proroguing and all that legal wrangling and what have you … I think actually, that common sense is breaking out.”

Mr Johnson added that “time after time MPs say that they are going to try to take no deal off the table and, lo and behold, it remains on the table”.

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