The bill was due to have a second reading in Parliament next week. The government is now, however, “reviewing the most effective means to deliver objectives through our legislative agenda” and the Bill of Rights is “unlikely to progress in its current form”.

The legislation has met with widespread criticism. The Law Society of Northern Ireland’s human rights and equality group said last month that it shared the view of former Supreme Court president Lady Hale, who said the bill would water down human rights protections in Northern Ireland.

Lady Hale had extensively criticised the proposals in her keynote address at the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission’s annual human rights lecture in July.