CLAIMS that Theresa May told EU officials she was postponing the meaningful vote the day before she told her own ministers have prompted fury from MPs.

According to Buzzfeed, the Prime Minister discussed the delay with senior figures in Brussels on Sunday.

Cabinet was not told about the change until 11:30am on Monday.

Reportedly, May spoke to the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, on Sunday about pushing back the vote rather than suffer massive defeat.

If true, it will humiliate May’s ministers, who took to the airwaves to insist on Sunday and Monday morning that the vote was going to go ahead on Tuesday as planned.

On Monday morning environment secretary Michael Gove told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the vote was 100% happening.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell, and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay had also assured reporters that the vote was going ahead as planned.

Just minutes before the delay was announced, May’s spokesperson told reporters that the vote was still on.

Downing Street yesterday insisted no decision had been made when May spoke to EU leaders: “This is completely untrue. The decision was not taken until after her conversations with EU officials. As the PM said in the Commons yesterday, the decision was made in consultation with the Cabinet.”

Late on Monday night, Michael Gove’s wife, the journalist Sarah Vine, took to Twitter to retweet a post reporting: “Lot of anger in government that various ministers were sent out to insist the vote was going ahead while No10 knew this was not the case.”

The claim May had talked to Europe first came up during yesterday’s emergency debate.

Labour MP Steven Doughty alleged that the addendum offering the additional reassurance on the backstop that May was now seeking had been “drafted weeks ago”.