A HAMPSHIRE MP has backed the Government's attempt to conclude Brexit after striking a deal with the European Union.

MP for Romsey and Southampton North, Caroline Nokes, supported the move to progress the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill and a three-day timetable for completing this on Tuesday, which would have seen the United Kingdom leave on October 31.

Ms Nokes was one of the 306 MPs who voted against the Letwin Amendment, tabled by MP Oliver Letwin, which is designed to withhold approval of the Prime Minister's Brexit deal until relevant legislation has passed.

Ms Nokes said: "I voted against the Letwin amendment on Saturday because I felt it was important to progress with the vote on the deal as soon as possible.

"I would have been content to have sat through the night and whole weekend should it have been necessary.

"I had hoped to vote in favour of moving on to the next stage of negotiations, with a deal in place, on Saturday."

She added: "Earlier this week I was admitted to hospital for surgery at short notice which has taken longer to recover from than I had originally anticipated. Consequently, I was unable to travel to Westminster on Tuesday and was therefore not able to take part in the debates and subsequent votes last night.

"I am enormously grateful for those who looked after me at Southampton General Hospital and also grateful to the whips on both sides of the House who have arranged a pairing agreement to ensure the votes were not unnecessarily affected.”

As previously reported in the Romsey Advertiser, Ms Nokes said she remained concerned about the impact no deal would have on her "constituents and will continue to vote to leave with a deal".

This comes after Ms Nokes cast a rebel vote in September to enable Parliament to sit for more time to debate the Benn Bill, resulting in her having the whip removed.

A spokesperson for Caroline Nokes said: "Caroline remains a member of the Conservative Party but has not yet had the whip returned."

The MP also told the Advertiser she hopes to stand as the "Conservative candidate in the next General Election".