THE Government’s plans for Brexit are “in paralysis”, Labour said, amid speculation crucial legislation will be delayed again.

Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said there was “chaos at the heart of Government” over the approach to leaving the European Union.

But the Brexit department said it was “completely false” to suggest the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill had been pushed back, because no formal date for its return to the Commons had been fixed.

The so-called repeal bill, which will put existing EU regulations on the domestic statute book, cleared its first Commons hurdle in September but has not been debated since then.

Ahead of detailed scrutiny in the committee stage, MPs have tabled some 300 amendments and 54 new clauses, potentially causing headaches for Theresa May’s whips given that the precarious Commons majority secured with the help of the DUP would be vulnerable to any Tory revolt. The official announcement of next week’s Commons business will take place on Thursday, but Labour sources indicated the bill was not expected to be listed.

The SNP’s Foreign Affairs spokesman Stephen Gethins called on the Prime Minister to scrap the EU Bill in its entirety and instead work with MPs and devolved administrations to protect the UK from a disastrous free fall exit from the EU. “This latest report of a second delay in debating the deeply flawed EU Bill is yet another example of the chaos at the very core of this hopelessly divided UK Government,” he said.

“Rather than dithering and delaying over the bill, the Prime Minister must scrap it in its entirety, and instead consult with parties across Westminster and the devolved administrations, to ensure we do not end up in a catastrophic Brexit free fall. This repeated stalling and endless in-fighting is doing huge damage to Scotland and the UK.’’

Starmer said the bill remained “deeply flawed.”

“This is further proof that the Government’s Brexit strategy is in paralysis.

“The negotiations are in deadlock and now a crucial piece of legislation is facing further delay.

“There is chaos at the heart of Government. Theresa May cannot unite her Cabinet or her party behind this deeply-flawed bill,” he said. “There are now serious questions about whether the Prime Minister can deliver Brexit.”

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom will confirm next week’s business in the regular statement today.

When the legislation was missing from last week’s statement, Leadsom told MPs it was “taking a bit of time to have proper, thoughtful, well-considered responses” to the proposed changes, but the Bill would return “just as soon as we’re able to”.

That had been taken as a sign the bill could return in next week’s business.

MPs are due to spend eight days debating the repeal bill at committee stage, which will then undergo further scrutiny in the Commons and the Lords before it is approved.

A Department for Exiting the European Union spokesman said: “The Withdrawal Bill is an essential piece of legislation in the national interest.

“It is completely false to suggest that there has been a delay to the bill as it has yet to be scheduled to enter committee stage.”