Theresa May will put plans to pull out of the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) at the heart of her campaign for the 2020 general election campaign, after ministers conceded that reform plans have been delayed by Brexit.

The Prime Minister is understood to be backing plans to “lift and shift” human rights enshrined in the European Convention and write them into UK law.

Mrs May’s plans go further than those drawn up by her predecessor David Cameron because they will give the Supreme Court the final say over how the rights are applied.

However, sources said she has decided that she cannot start that fight with the prospect of negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union set to dominate Parliament over the next few years.

A senior Government source said: “We would have been looking at having a huge row with a Parliament to get through the Cameron plan and we might even have failed.

“A clean break is by far the best option and, if we put it in the manifesto, even those Tory MPs who are squeamish about the idea will have to get behind it.

“A manifesto pledge also means the Lords will have to let it through eventually. All the signs are that the Prime Minister is up for this.”