ROBERT Buckland has quashed rumours that he is standing down from his cabinet post.

Whispers that he would be stepping down were “wide of the mark”, the South Swindon MP and Justice Secretary tweeted earlier today.

But why the talk of resignation?

First, Westminster is on edge after Amber Rudd sensationally quit the cabinet and the Conservative Party on Saturday night. In her letter of resignation, the former Work and Pensions Secretary claimed not enough work was going in to negotiating a fresh Brexit deal with the EU.

Second, concerns have been raised the government plans to break the law.

Some MPs are worried that Boris Johnson will try and ignore a legal duty – passed by parliament last week – requiring the government to seek an extension to the Brexit deadline date of October 31.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky earlier that the government was looking very carefully at the legal requirements of the new legislation – and would take a case to the Supreme Court in a bid to challenge it if necessary.

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Dominic Raab Picture: PA

Former Justice Secretary David Gauke said the current uncertainty surrounding whether the Prime Minister could defy the will of Parliament was "damaging to the rule of law" – a key principle of the constitution that says everyone must abide by the law.

Boris Johnson has suggested he could break the law to deliver Brexit on October 31 and defy MPs' bid to block a no-deal exit through legislation.

Mr Gauke, who was sacked by the PM this week for rebelling, said: "In the end, I don't expect any Prime Minister to defy the law.

"But the uncertainty about the Government's intentions is, in itself, damaging to the rule of law.

"Ministers should be clear and unambiguous - the government will abide by the law."

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Sajid Javid, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and former Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd on the Andrew Marr Show Picture: BBC/PA

Robert Buckland, appointed Lord Chancellor in July, tweeted earlier today that he had spoken to the Prime Minister: "We have spoken over the past 24 hours regarding the importance of the Rule of Law, which I as Lord Chancellor have taken an oath to uphold."

Shadow attorney general and Labour peer Baroness Chakrabarti told Sky: "The idea there's one law for Boris Johnson and his mates and another law for everyone else, it's appalling."

She added: "The legislation is crystal clear, if you don't have a deal in the next few weeks you have to apply for the extension, it's a duty that's laid in the legislation on the Prime Minister personally."