BRITAIN has been plunged into “crisis,” Theresa May has admitted as she expressed her "absolute determination" that MPs should have another chance to vote on her Brexit deal despite the shock ruling on it by John Bercow, the Commons Speaker.

The admission came after Cabinet broke up in confusion and exasperation over the length of Brexit delay the Prime Minister will seek from the EU27 later this week.

And this afternoon, Mr Bercow confirmed, irrespective at what happens at Thursday’s European Council, Mrs May must bring back an amendable motion on the Brexit process by next Monday.

No 10 revealed the PM is to write a letter to Donald Tusk, the European Council President, ahead of Thursday’s summit to set out her request.

During the weekly Cabinet meeting Mrs May made clear she wanted MPs to have another vote on her plan "as soon as possible".

But her senior colleagues emerged from Cabinet not knowing her firm intention while No 10 also refused to tell journalists what the plan was.

One Government source claimed there was no agreement in the Cabinet room on the length of extension while another insider expressed anger that the PM appeared to be avoiding making any concrete decision.

However, it is thought that in her letter the PM will ask her EU counterparts for an end date of June 30 but with the possibility of extending the delay for up to two years to December 2021.

Andrea Leadsom, the Commons Leader, was said to have argued strongly for a final end date of June 30 and underlined the tense atmosphere by tearing into colleagues around the Downing St table, declaring: “This is now a Remain Cabinet, not a Brexit Cabinet.”

Mrs May’s spokesman came close to admitting there would be no third meaningful vote this week. He explained there was a “full discussion” at Cabinet on extending Brexit and the implications of Mr Bercow’s ruling.

He was asked about the assertion by Robert Buckland, the Solicitor General, that Mr Bercow’s ruling – that the Government not could bring back for debate and vote a plan that was substantially the same as the one that was recently heavily defeated for a second time – had thrown Britain into a major constitutional crisis.

The spokesman replied: “If you look back to the speech which the PM gave just before meaningful vote two, she said that if MPs did not support that we would be in a crisis. Events yesterday tell you that situation has come to pass.”

He went on: "What you can see from the PM and her colleagues is an absolute determination to find a way in which Parliament could vote for the UK to leave the European Union with a deal. She has been very clear throughout that she wants that to happen as soon as possible."

As Downing St continued to keep matters close to its chest, the spokesman was asked if Mrs May was confident of keeping her Cabinet intact when the vote on delaying Brexit took place next week, given last week several members, including Stephen Barclay, voted against any extension.

He replied: “Look, last week was a free vote in terms of what happens in the future; that’s not something I’m in a position to talk about.” A third meaningful vote on the Government’s plan is not expected to be a free vote and will be whipped.

The general crisis gripping Government the lack of clarity on decision-making has raised the prospect of another confidence vote in Mrs May’s administration, possibly next week. There are even suggestions some Tory MPs, so frustrated by the lack of any progress, could abstain or even vote against the Government.

One Whitehall insider noted: “It's: last days of Rome.”

Meanwhile in Dublin, Leo Varadkar, the Irish premier, and Mr Tusk met for talks ahead of Thursday’s European Council and in a terse joint statement said: “President Tusk expressed the strong and ongoing solidarity with Ireland of the European Council and European leaders.

"They agreed that we must now see what proposals emerge from London in advance of the European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday."

Earlier, when asked if the developments at Westminster posed a problem, Mr Tusk did not reply but simply shrugged his shoulders.