THERESA May has been accused of trying to “muzzle” MPs by rushing through the Article 50 Bill in the House of Commons in just five days.

The UK Government published the European Union(Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, which would confer power on the Prime Minister to notify Brussels that it was the UK’s intention to exit the EU, and which contains just two clauses made up of two sentences.

Read more: In full - the UK Government's Brexit Bill

Labour MPs heckled David Lidington, the Commons Leader, shouting "disgraceful" when he confirmed that the main scrutiny stage, the committee stage, would last just three days.

The first debate on the bill, its second reading, will last just two days next Tuesday and Wednesday. The following week, the committee stage and the following stages will take place Monday February 6 through to Wednesday February 8.

Pete Wishart, the SNP’s Commons leader, complained about how "everything[will be] rushed through" and pressed for the Government to publish its Brexit White Paper, a detailed plan, before the committee stage so that the House “can consider that White Paper and bill of such importance and magnitude” .

Alex Salmond, who represents Gordon, said the Government’s timetable was “quite disgraceful” and asked if the White Paper, “authorising an irrevocable step to the greatest constitutional change to this country in 50 years,” would be published before the committee stage.

Mr Lidington would only say the Government hoped to publish the White Paper “as soon as possible”.

Read more: In full - the UK Government's Brexit Bill

He added: “The authorisation for our departure from the EU was given by a referendum of all the people of the United Kingdom; some of us like that decision, some of us don’t like that decision but it was a democratic decision the electorate was entitled to take.”

Earlier, David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, brushed aside calls for the Government to publish its formal Brexit plan within days but also said it would be produced “as expeditiously as possible”.

Labour warned ministers against offering a "cut and paste" of Mrs May's Lancaster House speech, in which she outlined her 12-point plan for Brexit.

During House Business Questions, Sir Oliver Letwin, the former Cabinet Minister, urged the Commons Leader to ensure that during the committee stage the Government would resist any amendment to the Article 50 bill that tried to tie the Government in “legal knots” and impede its negotiations.

But Labour’s Angela Eagle said she was “astonished” at the length of time for debate while her colleague Ben Bradshaw insisted just three days for the committee stage was “totally unacceptable” and was a “contempt of parliament”.

Chuka Umunna, the former Shadow Business Secretary, asked: "Why are this Government trying to muzzle the voice of people in Parliament with their timetabling of this Bill?"

Read more: In full - the UK Government's Brexit Bill

Chris Leslie, the former Shadow Chancellor, said having just three days to scrutinise the bill “beggared belief” and was a “pathetic” amount of time to consider in detail such an important piece of legislation. He pointed out how it was a fraction of the time that other important EU matters had.

“Doesn’t it speak volumes of a government’s deficiency of their plan that they are trying to gag Parliament in this way?”

But Mr Lidington dismissed what he called was Mr Leslie’s “synthetic rage,” and said there was no comparison to other bills that sought to ratify treaties. He stressed that because the bill only had two clauses, there was “plenty of time for all opinions to be fully expressed”.

He was supported by Tory backbencher Michael Tomlinson, who said there was “ample time” to debate what he described as a very narrow bill.

Meantime, Mr Davis, insisted that the Government was determined to get on with the job of delivering the people’s verdict in the EU referendum and added: “I trust that Parliament, which backed the referendum by six to one, will respect the decision taken by the British people and pass the legislation quickly."

But outside the chamber, Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “Take back control was a mantra of the leave campaign but this government’s extreme reluctance to involve parliament in this process has instead been an affront to parliamentary sovereignty and democracy.”

The Article 50 bill will now face attempts to amend it from all sides, while some MPs and peers will just oppose it outright; although the Government is confident that it can get the legislation through Parliament. However, unlike the Commons, there is no limit on how much time the Lords can debate a bill.

Members in both Houses will be acutely aware that appearing to frustrate the progress of the bill would risk accusations that they are going against the will of the people expressed in last year's referendum.

But the Liberal Democrats have vowed to oppose Article 50 unless there is a guarantee of a fresh public vote on the final Brexit deal agreed with Brussels, and the SNP has vowed to table 50 amendments to the legislation.