Britain's environment minister Michael Gove says he will not resign: ITV

Britain's Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Michael Gove, leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, May 22, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/Files

LONDON (Reuters) - British environment minister Michael Gove said on Tuesday he would not resign after the government was thrown into turmoil when two senior ministers quit in protest at plans for close trade ties with the European Union after Brexit.

When asked if he was also planning to resign, Gove, who was a prominent campaigner for leaving the European Union during the 2016 referendum, told ITV news: "Absolutely not."

(Reporting By Andrew MacAskill, editing by Elizabeth Piper)