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Theresa May told EU officials she was planning to delay the meaningful vote on Brexit 24 hours before she told her own Cabinet, it has been claimed.

The Prime Minister spoke on the phone to EU chiefs Donald Tusk and Jean Claude Juncker on Sunday, according to BuzzFeed News, citing a senior EU source.

At 8.10am yesterday, Environment Secretary Michael Gove insisted the vote was still on.

Later, at around 11.19am, Number 10 told reporters the vote was “going ahead as planned”.

But shortly after 11.30am, when Mrs May was still on a conference call to her Cabinet, it emerged she had told them she was pulling the vote to avoid a humiliating Commons defeat.

(Image: OLIVIER HOSLET/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Jeremy Corbyn said the news was "incredibly disturbing".

Downing Street insists the decision to yank the vote had not been taken when Mrs May spoke to EU leaders on Sunday.

They said: “This is completely untrue. The decision was not taken until after her conversations with EU officials.

"As the PM said in the Commons yesterday, the decision was made in consultation with the cabinet.”

Theresa May's hour of chaos over Brexit vote 11.19am No10 says "the vote is going ahead as planned", adding there's no known statement to the Commons 11.30am May starts emergency conference call with Cabinet 11.31am Reports emerge vote is being scrapped 12.04pm PM's statement to the Commons confirmed

Asked by Labour MP Stephen Doughty whether the Prime Minister had indeed discussed pulling the vote with EU leaders, Brexit minister Robin Walker said: “What I’ve been in front of this house doing is to be very clear on the government’s interpretation of section 13 of the withdrawal act, and to answer that we will have a meaningful vote.

“I’m not here to speculate on other matters.

The Labour Party whips Twitter account said: “Not only is Theresa May in contempt of Parliament, but acting in contempt of her own Cabinet too.”