Michael Gove prompted a storm after appearing to say Brexit would take at least four years after a Leave vote - despite the time limit being just half that.
David Cameron has vowed to kick-start the two-year process of breaking ties with Brussels immediately if there is a Leave vote on June 23.
Article 50 of the EU Treaty means Britain has to tie off all trade deals by June 2018 - or face begging all 27 other national leaders to extend the time limit.
But Brexit -backing Tory Mr Gove said today: "We wouldn't have left the European Union by the end of this Parliament".
The Justice Secretary - who has since disowned his comments as "tangled words" - prompted a flood of speculation about what he meant .
This Parliament only ends when there's a general election - and that'll be in April 2020, unless more than half of MPs call a vote of no confidence in David Cameron 's government.
Even if he fails a confidence vote, the PM would have two weeks to restore MPs' confidence before triggering the election process.
Britain will not hold automatically hold a general election if David Cameron is ousted as leader, though it could also have one if demanded by at least two-thirds of all MPs.
Twitter users blasted the "confusion", "uncertainty" and "chaos" from Mr Gove after he made his comments on ITV's Peston on Sunday.
Others suggested he would delay enacting Article 50 to leave the EU if he snatched power from the Prime Minister.
A spokesman for Mr Gove said later: "Michael got his words tangled.
"Of course we'll have left the EU and repealed the European Communities Act by 2020.
"He meant that building the new UK-EU relationship will take time, it will be an ongoing process, and there'll obviously still be issues to resolve in 2020."
But Labour MP Chris Bryant told the Mirror: "Gove is just making it up as he goes along.
"Even the Leave campaign are confused about what Brexit would really mean because it's a massive leap in the dark."
Tory Leader of the House of Lords Tina Stowell tweeted: "Vote leave but not go? Sounds like chaos."
Labour MP Ian Mearns added: "Didn't Gove say UK would still be in EU at end of parliament if We voted Brexit ? Not allowed under Article 50 maximum 2 year leaving period."
Mr Gove made his comments as he renewed David Cameron 's failed manifesto pledge to bring migration down below 100,000.
He said: "We wouldn't have left the European Union by the end of this Parliament but we would in due course bring it down to the tens of thousands.
"The ambition would be to bring it down to tens of thousands."
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