Brexit: Theresa May abandons last-ditch bid to get EU exit deal approved by MPs

Government shelves plan to bring forward withdrawal bill that would have enshrined prime minister's Brexit deal in law

Theresa May has abandoned her final attempt to get her Brexit deal through parliament in her last weeks in office.

Downing Street suggested the prime minister will no longer bring forward the legislation that would have enshrined her deal in law, effectively confirming that she has ditched plans to hold a vote on the bill at the start of June in a last-ditch bid to secure MPs' backing.

Ms May unveiled the contents of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill last week, triggering a Tory backlash so strong that the prime minister was forced to announce that she will resign as Conservative leader on 7 June.

The full bill was also released to cabinet ministers, many of whom swiftly told Ms May they would be unable to support it.

Last Thursday, government whip Mark Spencer told the Commons that Ms May still hoped to table the bill in early June.

But asked whether this was still the case following Ms May's resignation, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "I think we now have to reflect on the fact that we're in a different position."

Barring a highly unexpected change of opinion among MPs, it is now expected that the current version of the bill will never be published.

The next prime minister is likely to instead seek to redraft the document and amend the most contentious sections, relating to a customs union and a second referendum, which were widely condemned by Tory MPs.

Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, had suggested that the less controversial parts of Ms May's deal could be voted on before she leaves office, but it is understood that No10 has no plans to divide up the bill in this way.

Instead, Ms May is likely to use her last remaining weeks in office to try to pass legislation on her key domestic issues.

Her spokesman said: "If you look back to the prime minister's speech on Friday, there are domestic issues which she clearly feels very passionately about. I think you can expect announcements on some of these areas in the coming weeks."

Bringing forward the Withdrawal Agreement Bill was designed to be a last attempt to convince MPs to approve Ms May's Brexit deal.

The bill contained a number of compromises, including a pledge to allow the House of Commons to decide whether the UK should enter into a temporary customs union with the EU after Brexit.

It would also have given MPs a vote on whether a referendum should be held if the exit deal was approved by parliament.

But the concessions triggered fury from Conservative MPs, prompting many who had previously supported the deal to announce that they would no longer do so.

Ms May announced on Friday that she will step down as Conservative leader on 7 June. She will continue as prime minister until a successor is elected.

Speaking on the steps of Downing Street, she said: "I negotiated the terms of our exit and a new relationship with our closest neighbours that protects jobs, our security and our union.

"I have done everything I can to convince MPs to back that deal. Sadly, I have not been able to do so."