The Bishop of Leeds has urged the Government not to ignore the need for reconciliation as the bitter debate over Brexit continues.

The Right Reverend Nick Baines told the House of Lords that the Government had a 'primary duty' to consider reconciliation as part of the Brexit process.

The bishop told peers that the debate around leaving the European Union was characterised by a 'polarising aggression' that he said was not being helped by the Prime Minister's repeated calls to get behind her deal or promises of a glorious future outside the EU.

The relationship between Remainers and Leavers had become fractured to the point of being 'toxic', he said as he called upon the Government to work on restoring trust as a public value.

On social media platforms, the bishop said people had to wade through 'acres of muck' to find the few gems of fair analysis and comment on the topic.

'I am not making a case for leaving, remaining, wishful thinking or dreaming. The referendum happened, the rest is history - in the making,' he said.

'However, the factual phenomenon of Brexit, its language and behaviours, its polarising aggression and its destructive reductionism are not going to be addressed by statements about getting behind a deal and people romantically falling back into line.

'That line has been crossed in our public discourse, and I think two things have exacerbated it: first, the repeated implication that "the will of the people" is immutable and clear; and, secondly, that the nature of the split down the centre of the United Kingdom is being ignored.'

Theresa May is heading to Brussels with her deal this weekend but she faces a tougher challenge on her hands to win the backing of her own party when it is voted on in Parliament in a few weeks.

According to the BBC, only seven Tory MPs are needed to defeat the deal but 81 have already signalled objections.