The Commons Leader added that it would also not sit on Friday, April 26.

Her announcement was met with cheers.

It means MPs will not sit at all next week and will return for just three days the following week.

MPs could face questions from some voters about why they are taking a break when a Brexit date has not been set and the Government has less than a month to win approval for the Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement to avoid triggering European Parliament elections in the UK.

EU Council President Donald Tusk, when announcing the latest delay in Britain’s departure from the EU early yesterday, warned: “Please don’t waste this time.”

However, Downing Street aides gave their backing to the move.

A senior Tory source said: “Fundamentally, I think probably people could use a break.”

Mrs May is expected to take a holiday herself next week, although officials declined to reveal her travel plans.

MPs insist that much of their time spent away from Westminster including during recesses is on constituency work.

And they have been complaining that long hours and extra sitting days have put many on the brink of exhaustion and were clouding their political judgement.

A series of crunch votes on Theresa May’s desperate attempt to win approval for her withdrawal agreement has also seen the Commons sit into the early hours on several occasions.

Yesterday the Prime Minister urged MPs to do their “national duty” by uniting behind her EU departure deal.

Striking a defiant tone after controversially agreeing a Brexit delay that could last until Halloween, the Prime Minister vowed to launch a fresh attempt to win Commons backing for her Withdrawal Agreement shortly after Easter.

She infuriated Brexiteer Tories by signalling that her Brexit talks with Labour were edging towards a cross-party plan for close customs links with the EU.

“Let us then resolve to find a way through this impasse so that we can leave the European Union with a deal as soon as possible,” she told MPs shortly before meeting Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at Westminster to pave the way for further cross-party negotiations.

“This is our national duty as elected members of this House – and nothing today is more pressing or more vital,” she added.

Her appeal to MPs to put patriotism before party allegiances came as she updated the Commons on Thursday night’s marathon seven-hour EU summit talks which agreed a flexible extension of the Article 50 EU exit process until October 31.

Tory Brexiteers, furious that the Prime Minister accepted the delay to the country’s withdrawal from the EU rather than opt for a no-deal Brexit, directly confronted her in the Commons yesterday.

Veteran Eurosceptic backbencher Sir William Cash, the chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, urged her to quit.

“Does the Prime Minister appreciate the anger that her abject surrender has generated across the country?” he asked, adding: “Would she resign?”

Mrs May responded: “I think he knows the answer to that!”

Peter Bone, another leading Tory Brexiteer, demanded to know how Mrs May intended to “honour” a previous pledge not to “consider” a Brexit delay beyond June 30.

But other Tory MPs praised the Prime Minister for agreeing the Brexit delay.

Former minister Sir Oliver Heald backed her cross-party talks with Labour and urged her to “keep going”, adding: “Many of us feel it’s time to get this done.”

In her statement on the delay decision, the Prime Minister said: “My priority is to deliver Brexit and to do so in an orderly way that does not disrupt people’s lives.

“I continue to believe we need to leave the European Union with a deal as soon as possible.”

Mrs May admitted the extension to October 31 was a “compromise” between her own desire for a short delay until June 30 and a longer period of up to a year pushed for by Mr Tusk and other European leaders at the summit.

But she pointed out that the UK could leave the EU at 11pm on May 31 if her exit deal is approved by May 22, thus avoiding European Parliament elections.

Mrs May said talks with Labour will continue over Easter.

“This is not the normal way of British politics,” the Prime Minister told MPs.

But she added: “I profoundly believe that in this unique situation where the House is deadlocked, it is incumbent on both front benches to seek to work together.”

Trump criticises EU for ‘brutal’ Brexit stance

Donald Trump yesterday launched an extraordinary attack on the EU for its “brutal” treatment of the UK over Brexit, warning: “It all comes back to bite you”, writes Martyn Brown.

The US President’s robust intervention came after Theresa May was offered a Brexit delay until Halloween – which is much longer than the June 30 extension she asked for.

Mr Trump described the EU as a “brutal trading partner” just days after he threatened to impose tariffs on (£8.4bn ($11bn) of goods from Europe.

His administration shared a 14-page list of products that could attract higher tariffs.

It included French cheese, wine, Champagne, olive oil and seafood.

Mr Trump said: “Too bad that the European Union is being so tough on the United Kingdom and Brexit.

“The EU is likewise a brutal trading partner with the United States, which will change.

“Sometimes in life you have to let people breathe before it all comes back to bite you.”

Mr Trump has spoken about Brexit before.

In a tweet, he said he looked forward to “negotiating a large scale trade deal” with Britain that has “unlimited” potential.

Mr Trump’s aides have confirmed the plan to work closely with the UK after Brexit – but there are fears the move could lead to chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-pumped beef arriving on our supermarket shelves.

The US ambassador has already described such claims as “myths”.

Meanwhile, French president Emmanuel Macron – who has clashed with Mr Trump in recent months – has admitted he was behind the October 31 deadline for Brexit after most other EU leaders favoured a one-year delay.

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