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The Government spent 拢1.2m on legal costs in its effort to stop MPs from voting on Brexit, figures have revealed.

The unsuccessful battle to prevent a Commons vote on the triggering of Brexit negotiations under Article 50 cost £1,143,000, with the Liberal Democrats describing the bill as "a kick in the teeth for taxpayers".

According to the annual report for the Department for Exiting the European Union, £78,000 was also spent on a separate case relating to the European Economic Area, which was blocked by the High Court.

However, overall, the new department spent less than half of its £50m budget for 2016/17.

Staffing was the biggest expense at £14m, with legal costs totalling £3.7m.

At the time of its creation in July 2016, the Brexit Department had just 56 staff, but this had increased to 384 by March and is expected to grow further over the next year.

Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: "The Conservatives fought every step of the way in the courts to try and avoid proper scrutiny over Brexit. Now the public is having to pick up the tab.

"None of this would have happened if the Government had done the right thing and given Parliament a full role from the start.

"But this bill is nothing compared to the huge cost the country will pay if the Conservatives plough ahead with their extreme version of Brexit."

In his foreword to the report, Mr Davis said his department is now "in a strong position to deliver a smooth and orderly exit" from the EU.

He added: "I know that with the continued energy and creativity shown by the department so far, we will deliver a deal that works for everyone."