Theresa May has revealed detailed plans for quitting the EU with “no deal” in a move designed to pile pressure on Brussels to begin trade talks.

The Prime Minister decided to “focus minds” by publishing draft legislation showing how the UK will implement independent trade and customs arrangements from “day one” after Brexit in March 2019.

It is the first time the Government has set out what “no deal” would look like, and is aimed at kick-starting Brexit talks which have stalled because of a row over the size of the so-called Brexit “divorce bill”.

It comes ahead of trips to Brussels by both Mrs May and her Brexit secretary David Davis in the coming days.

White papers published on Monday on customs and trade made it clear that Britain would trade under World Trade Organisation rules if it left without a deal, and would set its own tariffs and taxes on goods, as well as moving borders inland to avoid queues at ports.

It also emerged that the Department for International Trade has set up a planning unit dubbed “Project After” which is putting forward radical options including dropping all trade tariffs and joining a trade pact focussed on Asia.