Brexit could be delayed for years unless Britain makes further concessions to the EU, the European Parliament’s chief negotiator has suggested.

Writing in The Telegraph, Guy Verhofstadt urges Theresa May to sign up to a catch-all association agreement with Brussels, which Brexiteers warn would leave the UK as a “rule taker” from the EU.

He says it is time to abandon "ideology" and take a more "pragmatic" approach.

Piling the pressure on Mrs May to accept an agreement that Leave campaigners fear will amount to the UK ending up as a “vassal state” of the EU, he adds: “The time for wishful thinking and kicking the can down the road is fast coming to an end”.

The Telegraph understands that Mr Verhofstadt's suggestion has also been endorsed by the UK's chief negotiator Ollie Robbins who introduced the idea at a Cabinet meeting this week only to be rebuked by the Leave-supporting Environment Secretary Michael Gove.

An association agreement - which is usually signed with countries that want to join the EU - would provide an umbrella treaty to link trade, security and other broader aspects of the relationship, says Mr Verhofstadt, but similar agreements signed with other countries suggest the UK would be forced to swallow large chunks of future EU laws.