To avoid the potentially humiliating possibility of being defeated twice in the House of Commons over the course of a week, the Prime Minister has been forced to reconsider printing a set date on the face of the EU Withdrawal Bill.

Tory rebel Anna Soubry objected to Mrs May’s intentions by stating “it would tie our hands in a way that is not necessary”.

She added: “We might want to continue negotiations to secure a good deal.”

The expected decision to reconsider follows the Prime Minister’s humiliating defeat in the Commons on an amendment to the EU bill that forced Tories to gain Parliamentary approval before the UK can leave the bitter bloc.

Following the vote that saw Mrs May lose out by 309 votes to 305, the UK could be drawn into negotiations with Brussels past the previously expected departure date of March 29, 2019.

The leader of this week’s Conservative rebellion, Dominic Grieve, believes more MPs will vote against Mrs May if she persists with conducting a vote on an exit date amendment, according to reports.

So far Downing Street has refused to confirm the u-turn, however, The Times has reported that sources have signalled the move in the coming days.

Ministers have allegedly contacted some of the 11 that delivered the humiliating blow to Mrs May to express their concerns.

To add to the mounting pressure on the Prime Minister, the EU is expected to give her a deadline of three months to lay out the Government’s plans for a future trade deal when the UK rids itself from the clutches of MEPs.

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte claimed that Mrs May is “holding her cards close to her heart” and that a clear position needs to be established for negotiations to progress.

He claimed: “She’s holding her cards close to her heart at the moment, which I understand on the next phase and this is probably a wise negotiating tactic.

“But I think we need…to understand how she sees this future relationship with the EU.

“It’s now for the UK to make up its mind.”

An aide to a European prime minister added: “It is necessary that the British let us know what they want. It makes the EU27 nervous that we don’t know. We are giving them three months to tell us.”

However, British officials are attempting to refuse the EU’s demands by claiming further rebellions could result from an early hypothesis of a Brexit “end state”.

One official told The Times: “We think it would be in both our interests to understand each other’s position before the EU adopts its formal negotiating mandate.”

During yesterday’s key EU summit, Mrs May emphasised that she is still in control of her government and country following her recent defeat.

The Prime Minister told reporters that she is “on course to deliver Brexit” in a confident manner.

She added: “I am disappointed with the amendment but actually the EU withdrawal bill is making good progress through the House of Commons.”