Brexit: Eurosceptic Labour MP Kate Hoey suggests she will vote against Theresa May's deal

'When will she start speaking out in support of British citizens rather than seeming to care more about Irish views?'

Brexiteer Kate Hoey has become the first Labour MP who campaigned to leave the EU to suggest she will vote against the deal Theresa May returns from Brussels with.

The remarks from Labour's Vauxhall MP, who campaigned alongside Nigel Farage in the referendum, follow the prime minister's claim that the Brexit negotiations are now in the "endgame".

But Ms Hoey's comments will come as unwelcome news in Downing Street - given Ms May has often relied on Labour Brexiteers to back the government in significant votes related to Britain's exit from the EU.

In a scathing article for the Labour List website, Ms Hoey said the Irish government is "in cahoots with the EU has deliberately made the border an issue and unfortunately our prime minister" and that Ms May's officials had "fallen for it completely".

Taking aim at Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, she said he "has behaved rather shamefully with some of his rhetoric and is clearly intent on becoming a future EU commissioner".

The Labour MP continued: "The EU wants to keep us locked in to their regulations and rules: the Irish government is playing hardball even though it would suffer most if the UK were to leave on WTO rules.

"When will the prime minister speak out and condemn this behaviour? When will she start speaking out in support of British citizens rather than seeming to care more about Irish views? It is this hypocrisy from Dublin that makes it certain that I and many other MPs will not support an agreement with the EU that panders to this kind of behaviour."

Last month the MP Frank Field, another prominent Brexiteer, who resigned Labour whip earlier this year, also recently expressed concern over a deal the prime minister could return with and suggested the UK should join the European Economic Area (EEA) while negotiating a free trade agreement.

In an article for the Guardian, he wrote: "An immediate aim is to unite MPs with a broad range of opinion as possible around this insurance policy. If we can succeed on this front, the Commons could help similarly to unite the country."

Speaking on Tuesday - ahead of a cabinet meeting - the prime minister's effective deputy, David Lidington, claimed the UK and the EU were "almost within touching distance" of a deal, but acknowledged the remaining difference were the "most difficult ones to resolve".