Brexit: Jeremy Hunt becomes first cabinet minister to tell May to abandon doomed bill

Foreign secretary does not call on prime minister to quit – but scrapping the withdrawal agreement bill would almost certainly trigger her departure

Jeremy Hunt has broken ranks by becoming the first cabinet member urging Theresa May to abandon her Brexit bill because it is “clear it wouldn’t pass”.

In a face-to-face meeting, the foreign secretary told the prime minister it was “too much to ask” Tory MPs to vote for the doomed legislation, The Independent has learned.

It is understood that Mr Hunt did not ask Ms May to quit – ahead of a showdown meeting on Friday, when Tory MPs will demand a rapid timetable for her to go.

However, scrapping the withdrawal agreement bill would almost certainly trigger her departure, leaving little purpose in her remaining in No 10.

Mr Hunt’s meeting came as a second cabinet minister – Sajid Javid, the home secretary – piled pressure on the prime minister in a separate encounter.

In a “frank discussion”, Mr Javid is understood to have made clear his opposition to the bill dangling the prospect of a Final Say referendum, in a later vote if MPs clear the bill at second reading.

The revolts came as the prime minister came close to admitting defeat when she was she was forced to shelve the publication of – and vote on – the crucial legislation.

It will not be published until the first week of June – not tomorrow, as Ms May promised – and the Commons will not be sitting on 7 June, the intended date for the vote itself.

The delay followed the resignation of Andrea Leadsom and the threat that more Brexiteer ministers will follow her out of the door, unless the legislation is amended or scrapped.

The prime minister also has a date of destiny with the head of the powerful 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers on Friday, when she will be ordered to name the date for her resignation.

Ms May is not believed to have signalled any intention to resign immediately. Instead, she was said by No 10 to be “listening to colleagues’ concerns”.

That was interpreted as an intention to keep fighting to keep her job, despite the daunting odds stacked against her as the Conservative backlash grows.

As well as Mr Hunt and Mr Javid, several other cabinet ministers – including David Mundell, the Scottish secretary – have criticised even enabling a referendum vote, even with Tory MPs whipped against it.

Earlier, Mr Hunt said Ms May would still be in place when Donald Trump visits on 3 June, saying: “Theresa May will be prime minister to welcome him and rightly so.”

However, at the pair’s later meeting, the foreign secretary told her it was unfair to ask Tory MPs to go through the lobbies on her Brexit deal – yet again – when it was doomed to defeat.

The intervention was seen by some as an attempt by Mr Hunt to avoid being outflanked by Ms Leadsom, a rival for the leadership when the contest gets underway.

That is expected to be no later than Monday 10 June, possibly allowing her successor to be in place before the summer break at the end of July – with Boris Johnson the strong favourite.