MP David Jones was one of the few Conservative Brexiteers to publicly criticise the deal Theresa May reached in order to trigger trade talks earlier this week.

The Member of Parliament for Clwyd West said the UK could end up paying a "monstrous" exit settlement nearly three times the estimated divorce bill, which is expected to be between £35bn to £40bn.

The intervention came following reports that senior Leave campaigners such as Michael Gove and Boris Johnson will seek a compromise from Mrs May on a sharper break from the bloc as “payback” for their support amid her deal with the EU.

The Environment Secretary, Mr Gove, is keen to ensure the UK quits the commons fisheries policy, despite Mrs May’s agreement that the UK could retain “alignment” with the EU in areas that impact on Northern Ireland.

Mr Jones also heavily criticised the controversial issue of aligning certain standards and practices with the EU following Brexit.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, the former minister said: "'Government sources' were quoted saying the price tag was likely to be £39 billion - down from an earlier-reported £50 billion. However, the deal document contains no such precise figure, reduced or otherwise.

"What it does contain is a set of highly technical mechanisms we would have to follow to work out the eventual Brexit cost to the UK.

"And those mechanisms could land us with a bill, on some estimates, of as much as £100 billion - a figure EU sources were touting earlier this year."

Tensions between Cabinet Ministers are set to come to a head during talks before Christmas when Ministers will finally discuss what the "end state" of the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the EU should be.

Brexit champion Nigel Farage also publicly criticised Mrs May’s negotiations and described the figure as “humiliating” and “way more than we need to pay”.

The UKIP MEP hit out at the Brussels bloc and said Britain has put a lot on the table in negotiations and has got “absolutely nothing guaranteed in return.”

Appearing on Sky News, Mr Farage said: “It’s a victory if you think paying away a gargantuan sum of money is a good thing, if you think giving foreign courts jurisdiction over this country for nearly up to a decade to come is a good thing.

“That’s how the EU have done this – put out a ridiculous figure, frighten the British, get Theresa May to promise 20 in Florence, and up we go.

“We do not need to be paying anything like this sum of money.

“The only reason they want this exorbitant sum is because they have refused to cut any of their future spending programmes despite the fact the United Kingdom is leaving. We should not be paying that sum of money.”

Mr Farage wrote on Twitter: “A deal in Brussels is good news for Mrs May as we can now move on to the next stage of humiliation.”

European Council President Donald Tusk demanded the UK obey EU rules during the transition period - including new edicts handed down by Brussels.

Speaking from Brussels yesterday, Mr Tusk said: “This morning I received the confirmation from our negotiators that sufficient progress had been made.

“We should start negotiating the transition deal so people and business have clarity about the situation. The UK has asked for a transition deal of about two years”

However, he added: “We have our conditions. I propose that during this period the UK will respect the whole of EU law including new law.

“It will respect budgetary commitments. It will respect judicial oversight. And of course all other commitments.”