Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab has said Prime Minister Theresa May's EU withdrawal proposals are worse than staying in the EU.

Asked if the PM's deal was worse than remaining in the bloc, Mr Raab told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'm not going to advocate staying in the EU.

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"But, if you just presented me terms, this deal or EU membership, because we would effectively be bound by the same rules but without the control or voice over them, yes, I think this would be even worse than that."

Mr Raab said the current agreement was unlikely to be passed by the Commons, and that ministers should contemplate leaving without one, saying: "We will, I think, inevitably see Parliament vote this deal down.

"And then I think some of those other alternatives will need to come into play."

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Education Secretary Damian Hinds said he believed support for the Prime Minister's Brexit deal would grow in Parliament as MPs considered the alternatives.

"The deal that we have on the table is a strong deal. It is a good, balanced deal. As people reflect on what the alternatives are, I think people are going to come to see this is a very good deal for Britain," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"If we weren't to pass this deal, I think it becomes rather unpredictable what happens next. There is a risk on the one hand beyond that of no Brexit at all - and there are people trying to thwart Brexit - and there is also a risk of no deal.

"Neither of those two things are attractive. This is why I believe this deal, which is a strong deal, will gain more and more traction."