Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to stay and fight on despite a string of resignations of high-profile ministers in the wake of her draft Brexit deal with the EU.

Less than 24 hours after she announced her cabinet had backed the plans, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, who had only held the post since July, quit saying he could not support the proposals.

An hour later, Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey resigned - and now Conservative party vice chairman Rehman Chishti, the MP for Gillingham and Rainham, also announced he had quit.

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But despite a tumultuousus day in which she spent three hours answering questions from MPs in the House of Commons and had to deal with threats of a 'no confidence' vote by members of her party, Mrs May revealed she was sticking to her guns.

"My approach throughout has been to put the national interest first," she said during a press conference at Downing Street.

"Not a partisan interest and certainly not my own political interest.

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"I do not judge harshly those of my colleagues who seek to do the same but who reach a different conclusion.

"They must do what they believe to be right, just as I do.

"I'm sorry they have chosen to leave the government and I thank them for their service.

"But I believe in every fibre of my being that the course I have set is right one for the country and all of our people.

"From the very beginning I have known what I wanted to deliver for the British people - to honour their vote in the referendum.

"Full control of our borders by bringing an end to the free movement of people, once and for all.

"I do not judge harshly those of my colleagues who seek to do the same but who reach a different conclusion" - Theresa May

"Full control of our money, so we decide for ourselves how to spend it on our priorities like our NHS.

"Full control of our laws by ending the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the UK.

"Getting us out of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Fisheries Policy for good.

"That is exactly what this agreement will deliver."

She added: "Yes difficult and sometimes uncomfortable decisions have had to be made, I understand fully there are some who are unhappy with those compromises but this deal delivers what people voted for and is in the national interest.

"We can only secure it if we unite behind the agreement reached in cabinet yesterday.

"If we do not move forward with that agreement nobody can know for sure the consequences that will follow.

"It would be to take a path of great uncertainty when the British people just want us to get on with it."

ANALYSIS

Here's the latest from our political editor Paul Francis

Theresa May chose to come out fighting over her Brexit deal after suffering the loss of six ministers today - a rate of attrition that might have knocked out other politicians.

If ever there was a time to display her resilience, today was it.

Her room for manouevre was, in truth, pretty limited so she chose to push on, using a press conference to declare she wasn’t heading for the Brexit door and neither was her masterplan.

But there remains a sense that she has bought time rather than win over doubters.

What has been noticeable is the apparent reluctance of some Kent Conservative MPs to declare their hands.

One exception was the Dover MP Charlie Elphicke who made no bones about his frustration with the deal and announcing that he would not be able to support it.

He articulated reservations that many MPs have - namely that the UK is signing up to a deal that not only breaches manifesto commitments but ties the country to arrangements that cede power to the EU rather than restores them to the UK.

May has brought herself time but she cannot afford to push some of the thornier issues into the long grass.

She is right about one thing: people just want the government to get on with Brexit and sort it out.

Whether she will be the one to lead the government in those efforts is open to question.