European leaders’ impatience with Britain’s post-election paralysis boiled over as they hit out at Theresa May’s failure to spell out her approach to Brexit talks.

As the Prime Minister came under pressure from senior Tories to modify her negotiating strategy, key figures in the bloc expressed frustration over the party’s internal wrangling and the government’s conflicting signals on Brexit.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief negotiator, said the EU was still “impatiently” waiting for Britain to set out its position ahead of talks due to start on Monday.

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He added: “For years now already, your internal catfight, that started under Cameron, has taken the EU hostage and has been hampering your as our economies.

“It is blocking us from further reforming and modernising the union. Frankly, we have seen enough of it.”

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, protested that it had been nearly three months since Mrs May triggered Article 50, beginning the process of leaving the bloc.

He urged the UK to begin talks “very quickly” and to appoint a negotiating team which is “stable, accountable and with a mandate”.

Brexit remains ‘on course’

Speaking in Paris, the Prime Minister insisted that the timetable for Brexit talks remained “on course” and said negotiations would begin next week. However, a firm date for the launch of talks is yet to be agreed.

Earlier Mrs May chaired a Cabinet meeting in which she attempted to unite her senior ministers over Brexit and her government’s wider programme.

But there were fresh indications that it could pursue a softer approach to Brexit when the Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, said it was really important that the exit package is “in the interests of the whole country”.

He added: “We need to ensure that those who voted Remain are part of the conversation about what the best deal for Britain is in the future.”

The former Tory Prime Minister Sir John Major argued that the party’s loss of its Commons majority meant that Mrs May ‘s hard Brexit stance was “increasingly unsustainable”.

He urged her to try to “negotiate a better deal on free movement” and access to the EU single market by being “more generous on immigration”.

Two Brexit ministers depart

The impression of disarray just days ahead of the talks was reinforced by the surprise departure of two ministers from the Department for Exiting the European Union.

One of them, Lord Bridges, was reported to have walked out because he was convinced that Brexit could not work.

George Freeman, who chairs the Conservative Policy Forum, suggested ministers need to take a “less ideological” approach to Brexit and allow issues to be discussed in Parliament.

Asked about whether Britain could remain in the EU single market, Mr Freeman said: “What we need to do is look at all the options … I think people have been worried by the hard Brexit language which suggests we don’t want to be active members.”