Downing St delays Article 50 trigger beyond this week

Prime Minister Theresa May will not activate Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty this week, according to reports.

May's Brexit Bill is undergoing further debate in both the Upper and Lower houses of parliament today, with additional time earmarked on Tuesday and Wednesday. Once agreed, the bill would need Royal assent before becoming law.

The PM cannot activate Article 50, which begins an up to two-year countdown to UK quitting the EU, without the legislation in place.

A spokesperson for May said the Article 50 process would not now be started until next week at the earliest, the Independent reported on Monday.

Many pundits had expected May to trigger the process this week, following a circuitous and acrimonious process in the wake of the controversial referendum in June last year.

Earlier on Monday, Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said that country should hold another independence referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, and she will begin the process to hold the poll next week.

With May having been expected to begin Brexit talks this week, Sturgeon said the Scottish people needed to be given the choice before the end of the process.

Sturgeon said she will ask the Scottish parliament to vote in favour of holding another referendum next week, with the details of the referendum, including the timing, an issue for Scotland to decide rather than Westminster.

She said the independence vote should take place between the autumn of 2018 and the spring of 2019.