Elsewhere, talks between the government and Labour to break the Brexit stalemate resumed this afternoon, with shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer saying they had reached "crunch time". Some Tory MPs have warned Ms May that any move towards Labour’s demand for a post-Brexit customs union with the EU would spur the Conservative Party to force her out “very quickly”.

However, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt called on the prime minister and the Labour Party to reach a compromise after both main parties lost ground in the local elections in England.

The Tories lost over 1,300 seats, while Labour lost 82. Jeremy Corbyn’s party had expected to make gains but voters turned to the Liberal Democrats and the Greens in an apparent backlash against the Tories and Labour over Brexit.