THE Secretary of State has rejected speculation he is to resign over Boris Johnson's handling of a possible no-deal Brexit.
Julian Smith is among ministers rumoured to be on the brink of leaving the government.
However, he insisted that he was not considering standing down.
"Media speculation about me doing anything other than continuing to represent & work flat out for Northern Ireland is v wide of mark," he tweeted.
Former work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd quit the Cabinet and the Conservative Party on Saturday, citing concerns over Mr Johnson's approach to the Brexit negotiations.
Her departure prompted fears that more ministers could stand down.
Mr Smith admitted last week that he was not consulted about the suspension of Parliament before ministers were told at cabinet.
It is understood that Mr Smith warned Mr Johnson the proroguing of parliament would impact on the sitting days to pass the Northern Ireland budget bill.
Parliament will be suspended for five weeks and will not return until October 14.
The suspension comes amid concerns Mr Johnson could face a Supreme Court battle over a no-deal Brexit.
The prime minister has said he would rather "be dead in a ditch" than ask the European Union for an extension to the UK's planned withdrawal date on October 31.
Time is now running out for the UK to avoid leaving the EU without a formal deal.
MPs have already voted to demand that the Brexit deadline is extended to January 2020, but Mr Johnson is threatening to ignore this.
