South Dorset MP Richard Drax blasts draft Brexit deal as a 'betrayal'

Mrs May, who will now have to win a Commons vote, said last night that the draft withdrawal agreement was "the best that could have been negotiated".

But Brexiteer Mr Drax said it was "not what the people voted for" and if reports about the agreement are true, he said it would be a "betrayal" of the referendum vote.

In 2016 Leave campaigners achieved more than 60 per cent of the vote in Weymouth and Portland and 51 per cent in West Dorset.

Mr Drax said Britain should leave the EU without a deal and strike a fresh deal after exiting.

The 500-page agreement has still not been made public, but it is understood to involve the UK remaining in a customs union and committing to a "level playing field" on EU rules in areas such as environmental and workplace protections during a 'backstop' period after Brexit.

Brexit supporters fear it will commit the UK to remaining indefinitely within a customs union with the EU and unable to forge its own trade deals elsewhere.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has resigned this morning. See the story here

Brussels is understood to have dropped its demand for Northern Ireland alone to remain within the EU customs area until a new trade deal is implemented, but the province could be subject to a different regulatory regime.

Speaking after the Cabinet meeting last night, Mrs May acknowledged there would be "difficult days ahead" and announced she will outline the deal to MPs in the House of Commons today.

And she added: "This is a decisive step which enables us to move on and finalise the deal in the days ahead.

"These decisions were not taken lightly but I believe it is a decision that is firmly in the national interest."

But Mr Drax said: "If what has been leaked is true then many of us have very serious concerns. This is not Brexit as we will be staying in the EU until 2021 at the very least.

"Northern Ireland will have a deeper relationship with the EU than us, and most concerning of all we will not have a unilateral right to escape the EU.

"This so called backstop could mean indefinite membership plus £39 billion given to the EU which would be a sell out for taxpayer.

"While the PM is claiming it's the best deal that's not the point. She had said no deal is better than bad deal – and this is a bad deal.

"If all this is true then our worst fears are realised and this is a betrayal of the worst kind of the referendum vote that said we should leave the EU.

"I think there will be a lot of anger about this."

He added: "We have remained craven for two years and capitulated at every single point, we've been pathetically on our knees for two years and clearly to me the EU isn't going to let us go."

Meanwhile, Conor Burns, MP for Bournemouth West, said he did not believe the agreement would win a Commons vote.

He branded the draft Brexit deal an “unmitigated and total disaster”.

North Dorset MP Simon Hoare, said he would be having a “detailed read of the deal” before reaching a view.

In a tweet he said: “I’ve always been keen to secure a deal but not at any price.”

West Dorset MP Sir Oliver Letwin said he would have to read the details of the deal before making a comment.

'Process has been a shambles'

West Dorset for EU is a cross-Party group of local people campaigning for a People’s Vote on Brexit.

Over the last three weekends, campaigners have been talking to people in Dorchester, Bridport and Sherborne about Brexit and – claim they have been winning the argument for people to have a say on the final terms of any Brexit deal.

The group says people are feeling "let down" by the Government who cannot agree on a Brexit deal and leave the country facing a damaging hard Brexit.

A recent poll has shown a significant change in public opinion – according to the poll West Dorset would now vote 54 per cent to remain in the EU.

On the latest development, group chairman Kay Wilcox said: "I think it extremely unlikely that this deal will be backed in the Commons. It's not a great deal and I think there's no reason why the people shouldn't have a vote in all of this. We should have a choice between a deal or remaining in the EU."

She added: "More and more people are saying this process has been shambolic. There are concerns about how the Leave campaign was conducted and people are now saying they have more information - they would like to have a say."

Meanwhile, Ian Girling, chief executive of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “Any deal has to be in the best interests of the UK and its businesses.

“Businesses, including many exporters in Dorset, must be able to successfully trade both with the EU and across the rest of the world.

“We are keen to see details of any deal so we can see what it means exactly for business.

“Businesses in Dorset have coped admirably with the uncertainty of the past two years and will hope that this wait will be rewarded with a deal which gives them the clarity they need to grow and drive the economy.”