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Brexit: Theresa May's deal is voted down in historic Commons defeat

May tells Corbyn it is 'impossible' to rule out 'no-deal' Brexit

Theresa May has told Jeremy Corbyn it is "impossible" for her to rule out a "no-deal" Brexit, after the Labour leader sought to block his MPs from helping the government break a deadlock over Britain's EU exit.

Mr Corbyn has instructed them not to "engage" with senior ministers until the prime minister takes the threat of leaving without an agreement off the table.

He asked them to "respect" his own position and "refrain" from contact designed to secure enough support from cross-party MPs to get an agreement passed through parliament.

Mr Corbyn has dismissed the PM's cross-party talks as a "stunt" and urged her to "ditch the red lines and get serious about proposals for the future".

She said her door remains open for talks, but told Mr Corbyn on his "no-deal" demand: "That is an impossible condition because it is not within the government's power to rule out no deal."

Mrs May said this could be done only by getting a deal through parliament or by overturning the 2016 referendum result, something she was not prepared to do.

Labour MPs had spent Thursday meeting senior government figures.

Labour MPs Hilary Benn and Yvette Cooper in Whitehall, London outside the Cabinet Office, after the Prime Minister announced that she would invite party leaders in the Commons and other MPs in for discussion to get a Parliamentary consensus on the way forward over Brexit.

But Mr Benn told journalists they were "doing our job as parliamentarians".

Asked if Mr Corbyn should have been there too, the Brexit select committee chair said: "That's a decision for Jeremy to take.

"He's demonstrating it's not just the prime minister who can be stubborn."

Chuka Umunna, a backbench Labour MP, vowed to carry on engaging with the government because Brexit is "above party politics".

Another told Sky News: "There are many people I look to for guidance as to who and who not to speak to. Jeremy Corbyn isn't one of them."

Mrs May wrote to the Labour leader herself to "sincerely" urge him to help her "reach a solution" with "little time left".

"Do you really believe that, as well as declining to meet for talks yourself, it is right to ask your MPs not to seek a solution with the government."

Meanwhile, a row has broken out after the government suggested it would take more than a year to hold a second referendum.

Former attorney general Dominic Grieve, a supporter of the People's Vote campaign, said the claim was "simply wrong" and "it is neither helpful nor right to have misleading information of this kind put out".

The failure of Mr Corbyn's no-confidence motion in the government on Wednesday has renewed pressure on the Labour leader to back a second referendum.

The co-chair of Leave Means Leave tells Sky News talk of a second referendum should be stopped.

Speaking in Hastings earlier on Thursday, Mr Corbyn admitted that if the UK was facing the "potential disaster" of a no-deal divorce then Labour would look at supporting another referendum.

However, the Labour leader stressed his party would still prioritise trying to secure a general election or achieve a Brexit deal on the terms they have demanded.

He added that Labour would "come back again" with more no-confidence votes to topple the government.

https://news.sky.com/story/may-tells-corbyn-it-is-impossible-to-rule-out-no-deal-brexit-11610101
 
Theresa May has scrapped the £65 fee millions of EU citizens were going to have to pay to secure the right to continue living in the UK after Brexit.

It came as the prime minister makes a statement to MPs on how she plans to get them to back her Brexit deal.

She said she would have further discussions with Northern Ireland's DUP and others on their concerns about the Irish backstop.

She will then "take the conclusions of these discussions back to the EU".
MPs are due to vote on any proposal next Tuesday, after the PM's original plan was defeated last Tuesday by a record-breaking 230 votes in the House of Commons.

Millions of EU citizens living in the UK will have to apply for "settled status" to remain in Britain after Brexit.

Applicants must have lived in the UK for five years and had been expected to pay a fee of £65 each.

"Settled status" gives EU citizens the same access to health care and education after Britain leaves the EU.

Mrs May told MPs she had listened to the concerns of EU citizens, through their campaign group the 3million, about the fees and they would be waived when the scheme is launched on 30 March.

The government has launched a pilot scheme this week for people to apply for leave to remain, through a smartphone app.

Mrs May said anyone "who has, or will, apply during the pilot phase" will have their fee reimbursed, with further detail to be announced shortly.

The move was welcomed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.Theresa May has scrapped the £65 fee millions of EU citizens were going to have to pay to secure the right to continue living in the UK after Brexit.

It came as the prime minister makes a statement to MPs on how she plans to get them to back her Brexit deal.

She said she would have further discussions with Northern Ireland's DUP and others on their concerns about the Irish backstop.

She will then "take the conclusions of these discussions back to the EU".

Brexit Live: May makes Brexit statement to MPs
MPs are due to vote on any proposal next Tuesday, after the PM's original plan was defeated last Tuesday by a record-breaking 230 votes in the House of Commons.

Millions of EU citizens living in the UK will have to apply for "settled status" to remain in Britain after Brexit.

Applicants must have lived in the UK for five years and had been expected to pay a fee of £65 each.

"Settled status" gives EU citizens the same access to health care and education after Britain leaves the EU.

Mrs May told MPs she had listened to the concerns of EU citizens, through their campaign group the 3million, about the fees and they would be waived when the scheme is launched on 30 March.

The government has launched a pilot scheme this week for people to apply for leave to remain, through a smartphone app.

Mrs May said anyone "who has, or will, apply during the pilot phase" will have their fee reimbursed, with further detail to be announced shortly.

The move was welcomed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-politics-46950719?__twitter_impression=true
 
'Dozens of ministers could resign' as PM pressured to rule out 'no deal'

The prime minister faces threats of mass resignations, disastrous worst-case scenarios and demands for further votes.

Pressure on Theresa May to rule out a "no-deal" Brexit is stacking up after MPs derided her plan B.

Sky News has learned that cross-Channel freight trade could collapse by between 75% and 87% for six months in the event of no deal.

The estimate, by the UK Border Force, is part of an assumption for no-deal contingency plans and is based on predictions of tough customs checks by the French.

The disclosure, in a document leaked to Sky News, comes as:

:: The pro-Remain cabinet minister Amber Rudd is said to have warned Number 10 that dozens of ministers could resign if Tory MPs are banned from voting to stop a no-deal Brexit;

:: Labour has tabled a Commons amendment to the government's EU withdrawal deal, which it claims prevents the chaos of no deal and includes the option of a second referendum;

:: Labour's Hilary Benn has also tabled an amendment for next week's Brexit debate, calling for a series of votes on a way forward;

:: A hard-hitting Whitehall report claims uncertainty over Brexit has caused serious disruption in government and torn British politics apart.

The Border Force document, marked sensitive, reads: "The reasonable worst case flow through the Short Straits is reduced to between 13% and 25% of current capacity for a period of between 3-6 months."


Senior MP on Border Force leak slide called 'catastrophic'
"The French will apply at least the legal minimum of third country customs controls on all goods and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on specified food and agricultural products. This includes the imposition of 100% customs documents checks.

"Even after an initial shock, Border Force assumes that a "new normal" for cross-Channel freight will be 50-100% of current flows lasting 'until significant changes are made to improve border arrangements such as automation'."

The document concludes: "A significant proportion of traders will not be ready for D1ND (day one, no deal)".

Jon Craig says there appears to be little substantive change

Responding to the leak, Labour David Lammy MP said: "As this shows, no deal will be catastrophic for British trade. A worst case 87% fall in channel freight traffic means job losses, shortages of vital supplies and potential recession.

"It's time for parliament to rule out no deal, and begin an honest discussion about the remaining options for Brexit, in comparison to remaining in the EU."

:: Brexit amendments explained: How MPs will try to alter plan B

Pro-Remain Labour MP Jo Stevens said: "With every passing day the reality of a no-deal Brexit becomes ever clearer.

"The freight referred to in this slide is the essentials: medicines, food and goods that keep the country going. It's no surprise the government didn't release this information in its public no-deal guidance.

"In refusing to take 'no deal' off the table, the prime minister is gambling the country's supply of essential food and medicines in a desperate attempt to rescue her botched Brexit deal.

"The time for the prime minister to do the right thing is long overdue. She must take no-deal off the table and give the public a chance to have its own say."

In another blow for the prime minister, already reeling from criticism of her plan B, Ms Rudd is claiming 25 to 40 members of the government want to vote for an amendment drafted by Labour's Yvette Cooper and the Tory backbenchers Sir Oliver Letwin and Nick Boles.

Ms Rudd - the work and pensions secretary - is said to be telling Number 10 that it should offer a free vote on the issue as a way of forcing all Tory MPs to show their view on Brexit issues, rather than just waiting while the prime minister attempts to delay key decisions for another round of Brexit negotiations and winding down the clock.

Labour's Brexit amendment would instruct the government to rule out no deal and allow MPs to vote on options including a public vote.

"Our amendment will allow MPs to vote on options to end this Brexit deadlock and prevent the chaos of a no deal," said Jeremy Corbyn.

"It is time for Labour's alternative plan to take centre stage, while keeping all options on the table, including the option of a public vote."

In its hard-hitting report, the Institute for Government says there have been 21 ministerial resignations since the general election and there is a risk major projects such as HS2 will not be delivered on time and on budget.

https://news.sky.com/story/pressure...t-no-deal-brexit-11614147?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
 
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European Union and UK government make backstop measures legally binding ahead of Brexit vote

After almost three years of uncertainty, the UK will have its last chance today to vote on Brexit and regardless of whether it’s approved — the British economy already looks to have suffered.

A new report has found more than 275 financial firms have moved or are moving their staff and about £925 billion ($AU1.7 trillion) in assets out of the UK.

The report from think tank New Financial provides one of the most detailed analysis on the impact of Brexit on financial services.

It found firms had already begun moving to European Union countries, with Dublin by far the biggest beneficiary. About 100 businesses are moving to the city or selecting it as their post-Brexit hub. This is followed by Luxembourg (60), Paris (41), Frankfurt (40) and Amsterdam (32).

Some of these cities have become favoured by certain industries.

Among those surveyed, nearly half of all asset managers, hedge funds and private equity firms chose Dublin as their new base; while almost 90 per cent of firms headed to Frankfurt were banks or investment banks.

The report believes the numbers will get worse if Brext goes ahead and that the impact of the separation from the EU is “bigger than we expected”.

“We think the report understates the full picture,” New Financial states.

“Many firms will have quietly moved parts of their staff or business below the radar, others will have held off making a formal move — and we think plenty of other firms aren’t yet ready.”

The report comes as the EU and UK agreed on new measures to remove the biggest roadblock to Brexit.

During a press conference on Monday night (local time) EU president Jean-Claude Juncker confirmed extra legal assurances had been agreed but warned: “there will be no new negotiations”.

“It’s this deal or Brexit might not happen at all,” he said.

He urged British politicians to back the Brexit withdrawal bill after agreeing to the new legal guarantees with Prime Minister Theresa May.

“Let’s bring the UK’s withdrawal to an orderly end,” Mr Juncker said.

The parliament is due to vote on Ms May’s deal again on Tuesday and if it’s not supported, politicians will vote over the following two days on whether to leave the EU without an agreement — an idea likely to be rejected — or to ask the EU to delay Brexit beyond the scheduled March 29 departure date.

Ms May warned last week that any delay could mean “we may never leave the EU at all.”

Alan Wager, a Brexit expert in the UK at the think tank Changing Europe, said parliament this week could decisively rule out both Ms May’s deal and a no-deal departure.

That, in turn, would make such options as a new Brexit referendum or a “softer” withdrawal from the EU lot more likely, he said.

There could also be repercussions for Ms May, with some believing she won’t be able to hang on as Prime Minister if the vote fails.

Conservative MP Nicky Morgan told BBC that Ms May’s position will become “less and less tenable” if she suffers more defeats in parliament this week.

EUROPEAN UNION GRANTS MAY LAST-MINUTE CHANGES

On Monday Ms May secured “legally binding changes” to address some of the concerns about the original deal, in particular on the Northern Ireland backstop.

She hopes the changes will overcome concerns about the backstop, which is a mechanism to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

The backstop keeps the UK in a customs union with the EU until a permanent trading relationship is in place. This avoids the need for a hard border between Ireland, which is still part of the EU, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK.

However, British politicians have previously rejected the deal as some are worried the backstop could be used to bind the UK to EU regulations indefinitely.

In order to address these concerns Ms May announced the creation of three documents: a joint instrument, a joint statement and a unilateral declaration.

Ms May said having an insurance policy to ensure there was no hard border was “absolutely right” but it could not become a permanent arrangement or a template for a future relationship.

Ms May said the deal in January was not strong enough in making that clear.

“Legally binding changes were needed to set that right,” she said.

This includes a commitment that the EU could not act with the intention of applying the backstop indefinitely.

“If they do it can be challenged with arbitration and if they are found to be in breach, the UK can suspend the backstop,” Ms May said.

She said there was also a legal commitment that whatever replaces the backstop did not need to replicate it.

The last-minute agreement comes just 17 days before Britain is scheduled to leave the EU.

On news of the breakthrough, the sterling, which has see-sawed on Brexit headlines, jumped 0.8 per cent to $US1.3250 ($AU1.87) in Asian trade and rallied to its strongest against the euro since mid-2017.

But pro-Brexit MPs said they would read the fine print and wait for the judgment of Britain’s attorney general before deciding how to vote on Tuesday.

Britain’s main opposition Labour Party has already urged parliament to vote against the deal despite the last-minute changes.

“This evening’s agreement with the European Commission does not contain anything approaching the changes Theresa May promised parliament,” said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, adding: “That’s why MPs must reject this deal”.

Ahead of the press conference to announce the changes, de facto deputy, David Lidington, told the House of Commons Ms May had secured some concessions but was still negotiating with EU leaders in Strasbourg.

“This evening in Strasbourg the prime minister … (has) secured legally binding changes that strengthen and improve the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration,” he said.

He said this should be enough to persuade MPs to vote for the agreement on Tuesday, just 17 days before Britain is scheduled to leave the EU.

“Tomorrow there will be a fundamental choice — to vote for the improved deal or to plunge this country into a political crisis,” he said.

Lidington said two new documents would be put to MPs.

He said London and Brussels had agreed a “joint legally binding instrument” on the withdrawal text that governs Britain’s exit terms, and which includes a controversial “backstop” plan to keep open the border with Ireland.

This document “provides confirmation that the EU cannot try to trap the UK in the backstop indefinitely, and that doing so would be an explicit breach of the legally binding commitments that both sides have agreed”, he said.

The backstop would keep Britain in a customs union with the EU if and until another way — such as a new trade deal — could be found to avoid checks on the Irish border.

If the EU did breach its commitments to try to find an alternative to the backstop, Lidington said Britain could use this legal document “as the basis for a formal dispute through independent arbitration”, and ultimately get the backstop suspended.

The document also emphasises that both Britain and the EU want to find an alternative to the backstop by December 2020.

Finally, it would put assurances from European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk over the temporary nature of the backstop “onto a legally binding footing”, Lidington said.

A second document has also been agreed, supplementing the political declaration which sets out hopes for a UK-EU trade deal, to outline commitments from both sides on moving swiftly to this new relationship.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/wor...t/news-story/6f4e4110e7f6d9cc3bdc7c70aeb55b28
 
Brexit: May in final push to convince MPs to back deal

Theresa May is making a final bid to save her Brexit deal ahead of a crunch Commons vote.

Battling a sore throat after late night talks with the EU, the prime minister urged MPs to back her "improved deal" or risk "no Brexit at all".

But some leading Tory Brexiteers and the DUP, who keep her government in power, have rejected the deal.

They say the legal assurances secured by the PM are not enough to prevent the UK being tied permanently to the EU.

Sir Bill Cash, a leading member of the European Research Group, said: "In the light of our own legal analysis and others we do not recommend accepting the government's motion today."

Sir Bill was part of a panel of legally-trained panel of Brexiteer MPs who examined the PM's revised deal, concluding that it did not deliver the binding changes MPs had demanded.

ERG chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg said he had not yet decided which way to vote, as the group prepared to meet.

The DUP said in a statement that "sufficient progress has not been achieved at this time".

Media captionJeremy Corbyn on PM's Brexit deal: "Not one single word has changed".

With husband Philip watching from the public gallery, Mrs May made a final plea to MPs to "come together" and "prove beyond all doubt that democracy comes before party, faction or personal ambition".

"This is the moment and this is the time," she said.

"Back this motion and get the deal done, because only then can we get on with what we came here to do - what we were sent here to do.

"We cannot serve our country by overturning a democratic decision of the British people."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that "after three months of running down the clock" the prime minister had "achieved not a single change to the withdrawal agreement".

He said it was the same "bad deal" MPs had rejected in January and Labour would be voting against it again because it "risks people's living standards", jobs and the NHS.

The last time Mrs May's withdrawal agreement was put to Parliament in January, it was voted down by a margin of 230.

MPs will pass judgement on the revised version of her deal at about 7pm. Commons Speaker John Bercow did not select any of the amendments to the government motion that had been tabled by MPs.

Another dreadful day for No 10

As things stand the number of switchers seems far less than required to avoid another defeat for the prime minister. Last time out she was beaten by a record 230 votes.

One cabinet minister guessed the number tonight might be around 150. Everyone is guessing still.

But this looks like another dreadful day for Number 10, and another moment when doubts will be on display about not just the divorce deal with the EU, but about the prime minister's leadership too.

Something has changed yes, but not enough.

Charles Walker, vice chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, said defeat for the government in the vote later would lead to a general election.

He told BBC Radio 4's World At One: "If it doesn't go through tonight, as sure as night follows day, there will be a general election within a matter of days or weeks.

"It is not sustainable, the current situation in Parliament."

He added: "She will lead us into that general election. We haven't got time for a leadership election."

Downing Street said: "We are not preparing for and we do not want a general election."

Attorney General's legal advice

Media captionAttorney General Geoffrey Cox: "Let me make it clear. The legal risk... remains unchanged"

It comes after Attorney General Geoffrey Cox told MPs the legal risk of being tied to the EU after Brexit "remains unchanged".

He added that the new assurances secured by the PM did "reduce the risk that the United Kingdom could be indefinitely and involuntarily detained" in the Irish backstop if talks on the two sides future relationship broke down due to "bad faith" by the EU.

He defined "bad faith" as a "pattern of refusing to accept reasonable proposals" on the Irish backstop.

But he said the question of whether a satisfactory post-Brexit deal on a permanent trading relationship can be reached remained "a political judgment" - and he said MPs should back the PM's deal.

In his advice, Mr Cox said "the legal risk remains unchanged" that if a post-Brexit trade agreement can not be reached due to "intractable differences", the UK would have "no internationally lawful means" of leaving the backstop without EU agreement.

Ian Blackford accused the PM of 'laughing' during his speech

Mrs May earlier addressed a meeting of Conservative MPs, in an effort to change the minds of those opposed to her deal.

Conservative MPs leaving the meeting suggested half of those who voted against the deal last time will switch to support it later, said BBC's Chief Political Correspondent Vicky Young.

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said she believed the prime minister's deal would go through "otherwise instability will follow which would be so unwelcome".

But Brexiteer Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns said the UK should leave the EU "without a bad deal", adding that the country needed to look "beyond the borders of the EU".

Media captionSnap general election on the cards, says Conservative MP

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable told MPs Brexit will "make this country poorer, weaker and less secure" and called for people to have the final say in another referendum.

And leading Tory Remainer Dominic Grieve warned "we are about to do a serious and historic mistake", describing Brexit as "self-mutilation".

The SNP's leader at Westminster Ian Blackford urged the prime minister to "extend Article 50 and bring forward another EU referendum".

He earned a rebuke from Speaker John Bercow for accusing Mrs May of "sitting there laughing" while he was "talking about the rights that will be taken away from our young people" by Brexit.

What was agreed with the EU?

Theresa May flew to the European Parliament with Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay on Monday for last-minute talks with Mr Juncker and EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. She returned with three documents:

A "joint legally binding instrument" on the withdrawal agreement which the UK could use to start a "formal dispute" against the EU if it tried to keep the UK tied into the backstop indefinitely.
A joint statement about the UK and EU's future relationship which commits to replacing the backstop with an alternative by December 2020.
A "unilateral declaration" stating there is nothing to stop the UK from leaving the backstop if discussions on a future relationship with the EU break down and there is no prospect of an agreement.

Many MPs fear the backstop, initially agreed by the UK government in December 2017, would keep the country in a customs arrangement with the EU indefinitely.

The PM has claimed the new documents addresses this issue and urged MPs to back the "improved deal".

The EU warns 'this is it'

The UK is set to leave the EU on 29 March 2019 after voting to leave by nearly 52% to 48% - 17.4m votes to 16.1m - in 2016.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned MPs they would be putting everything at risk if they voted down the deal.

"In politics sometimes you get a second chance," he said. "It is what we do with that second chance that counts. There will be no third chance."

The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the new agreements showed both sides' "good faith" - although he made clear they did "not undermine" the principle of the backstop or how it might come into force.

What could happen this week?

>Theresa May's deal to face a "meaningful vote" in Parliament later on Tuesday
>If it's rejected, a further vote has been promised for Wednesday on whether the UK should leave without a deal
>If that no-deal option is rejected, MPs could get a vote on Thursday on whether to request a delay to Brexit from the EU.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47533666
 
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Prime Minister Theresa May's EU withdrawal deal has been rejected by MPs for a second time, throwing her Brexit strategy into further confusion.

MPs voted down her deal by 391 to 242 - a smaller defeat than when they rejected it in January.

The PM said MPs will now get a vote on whether the UK should leave without a deal on 29 March and, if that fails, on whether Brexit should be delayed.

She said Tory MPs will get a free vote on a no-deal Brexit.

That means they can vote with their conscience rather than following the orders of party managers.

If the Commons declines to approve a no-deal Brexit in a vote on Wednesday, a vote on extending Article 50, the legal mechanism taking the UK out of the EU on 29 March, will take place on Thursday, said Mrs May.

Announcing the free vote, she told MPs: "This is an issue of grave importance for the future of our country.

"Just like the referendum there are strongly held and equally legitimate views on both sides.

"For that reason, I can confirm that this will be a free vote on this side of the House."

She said that the choices facing the UK were "unenviable", but because of the rejection of her deal, "they are choices that must be faced".

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the prime minister should now call a general election.

The EU's Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said in a tweet: "The EU has done everything it can to help get the Withdrawal Agreement over the line. The impasse can only be solved in the UK. Our 'no-deal' preparations are now more important than ever before."

Some 75 Conservative MPs voted against the PM's deal, compared with 118 who voted against it in January.

A Labour Party spokeswoman said: "Allowing a free vote on no deal shows Theresa May has given up any pretence of leading the country.

"Once again, she's putting her party's interests ahead of the public interest."

Mrs May had earlier warned MPs that if they did not back her "improved deal" they risked "no Brexit at all".

But she failed to convince enough of them that concessions she had agreed at the last minute with the EU were the "legally-binding" changes they had demanded when they rejected the deal by 230 votes in January.

Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, which keeps her government in power, voted against the deal, along with Brexiteer Conservative backbenchers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47547887
 
Stewie said:
So what does it mean?
Click to expand...
Likely outcome is the government seeks to delay Brexit and hope something comes up.

PM May ought to do what she should've done on her first day and seek a cross party consensus instead of placating the extremists on the backbenches.
 
MPs reject Theresa May's Brexit deal again - what happens now?

The PM confirms she will push ahead with further votes on Brexit outcomes after her withdrawal agreement is defeated again.

MPs have rejected Theresa May's Brexit deal for the second time in three months - so, what happens now?

Prior to Tuesday's second "meaningful" vote on her withdrawal agreement, the prime minister had already promised, in the event she was defeated, further votes this week on differing Brexit outcomes.

Now that she has seen her deal spurned again, Mrs May will firstly ask MPs whether they want to approve the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement, known as a no-deal Brexit.

This vote will be held on Wednesday, with Tory MPs being given a free vote on the issue.

If MPs reject a no-deal Brexit, the prime minister will then ask MPs whether they want her to seek a "short" and "limited" extension to the Article 50 negotiating period.

This would delay Brexit beyond the current scheduled departure date of 29 March.

A vote on this will be held on Thursday.

The EU has warned that, if the UK's exit from the bloc is delayed beyond the European Parliament elections between 23-26 May, Britain will have to elect MEPs to serve in Brussels and Strasbourg.

What will Labour do?

The last time Mrs May saw her Brexit deal rejected by MPs, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a confidence motion in the government, in the hope of forcing a general election.

With the support of the DUP, the government survived that vote in January.

Labour might try a repeat now the prime minister has seen her deal defeated again, but Mr Corbyn showed no immediate sign of taking such action.

What other options does the PM have?

Before or after votes on a no-deal Brexit or an extension to Article 50, the prime minister might also - with varying degrees of likeliness - pursue one of a number of other options:

1. Resign

Having seen her Brexit deal defeated twice, Mrs May might decide she no longer commands the confidence of MPs to negotiate the UK's exit from the EU and it is time for her to leave 10 Downing Street.

2. Call a general election

The prime minister could also decide the only way to break the Brexit deadlock in parliament is to replace the current make up of the Commons through a general election.

After winning a vote of confidence among Tory MPs last year, the prime minister told her party she would not lead them into the next general election.

However, whether Mrs May's pledge applies to a snap election is still unclear.

3. Extend Article 50 herself

Rather than be forced into requesting an extension to Article 50 through a Commons vote, the prime minister might decide to seek a short delay to Brexit herself.

This would give her more time to pass a Brexit deal.

4. Keep battling on

The prime minister could keep to her chosen tactic and stick with her Brexit deal.

She might try and convince MPs again that her withdrawal agreement is worth backing, and bring it back to the Commons for a third vote.

Mrs May will hope the threat of the UK's exit from the EU never taking place - or being substantially delayed - could force Brexiteer MPs to swallow their opposition and eventually back her deal.

5. Try and win further concessions from the EU

EU leaders are set to gather for a Brussels summit on 21 March to discuss Brexit.

The prime minister might try and use this opportunity to stage another effort to win changes to her withdrawal agreement, before putting it back to MPs for a third time.

However, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has already warned "there will be no third chance".

He added: "There will be no further interpretations of the interpretations; and no further assurances of the re-assurances."

6. Call another referendum

It's unlikely, but the prime minister also has the option of putting her Brexit deal to a public vote for approval.

Anti-Brexit MPs would try and ensure another referendum included remaining in the EU as an option for voters.

https://news.sky.com/story/mps-reje...what-happens-now-11663380?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
 
Just do another referendum and I’m sure Britain will vote to stay in EU the second time around. Brexit has turned into a big headache for Britain.. it’s ridiculous.
 
So we continue to stand at the edge of the cliff only this time with one leg dangling...
 
There is nothing in the world this stubborn lady can get right. Was more suited to be a immigration officer. Nothing likeable about her.
 
The risk of a "disorderly" Brexit has never been higher, the EU's chief negotiator has said, following MPs' second rejection of Theresa May's deal.

Michel Barnier said the EU "cannot go any further" in trying to persuade MPs to back the agreed terms of exit and the UK had to break the impasse.

He questioned what the purpose would be of extending the talks beyond 29 March.

MPs will vote at 19.00 GMT on whether to block the UK from leaving the EU without an agreement later this month.

Wednesday's vote only applies to the 29 March deadline and would not rule out the prospect of a no-deal exit later this year, if Parliament is ultimately unable to agree a way forward.

Ahead of the no-deal Commons vote, the government announced that most imports into the UK would not attract a tariff in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

As the government considers its next move after Mrs May deal was defeated by 149 votes, Mr Barnier said it was time for the UK to take "responsibility" for its actions.

"Again the House of Commons says what it doesn't want," he told the European Parliament. "Now this impasse can only be solved in the UK.

"The risk of no-deal has never been higher. That is the risk of an exit....in a disorderly fashion."

The EU, he suggested, had gone "as far as it possibly can" to satisfy MPs' concerns over the agreement, particularly in relation to the backstop, an insurance policy to stop a hard border on the island of Ireland.

"If the UK still wants to leave the EU in an orderly manner, this treaty is, and will remain, the only treaty possible," he said.

What are MPs voting on later?
MPs will vote on a government motion, which says the Commons "declines to approve leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement and a framework on the future relationship on 29 March".

Mrs May, who is currently chairing a cabinet meeting, has said Tory MPs will get a free vote.

That means ministers and MPs can make their own mind up rather than following the orders of party managers - an unusual move for a vote on a major policy.

The no-deal debate will begin after Prime Minister's Questions and Chancellor Philip Hammond's Spring Statement economic update.

Leaving the EU in 16 days' time remains the UK's default position under the law, unless talks are extended.

If a no-deal exit is rejected, MPs will vote on Thursday on delaying Brexit by extending Article 50 - the legal mechanism that takes the UK out of the EU.

The EU has said it would need "a credible justification" before agreeing to any extension. Such a move would have to be agreed by every member state.

What happened last night?
The PM had made a last-minute plea to MPs to back her deal after she had secured legal assurances on the Irish backstop from the EU during late-night talks in Strasbourg on Monday.

But although she managed to convince about 40 Tory MPs to change their mind, it was not nearly enough to overturn the historic 230 vote defeat she suffered on the same deal in January.

Speaking after the defeat, she said MPs would have to decide whether they want to delay Brexit, hold another referendum, or whether they "want to leave with a deal but not this deal".

She will tell MPs whether she will vote for no deal or not when she opens Wednesday's debate.

Labour have said the prime minister's Brexit deal is now "dead", while Conservative Brexiteers and Remainers have also called for alternatives to be seriously discussed.

Despite Tuesday's defeat, the BBC News political editor Laura Kuenssberg said, there were ministers who believed it could still ultimately prevail as other options gradually fell by the wayside due to lack of parliamentary support.

What alternatives are being discussed?
Labour wants no-deal to be "taken off the table" and is likely to back an amendment - a legislative tool - tabled by MPs Jack Dromey and Caroline Spelman ruling out the UK leaving without an agreement at any stage in the process.

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey told the BBC that Parliament would increasingly "set the agenda" if the government was not in control of events.

She said No 10 should consider giving MPs a free vote on the full range of options for the UK's relationship with the EU - including Labour's own plans for a customs union.

What isn't clear is how the prime minister actually intends to dig herself out of this dreadful political hole.

Some of her colleagues around the Cabinet table think it shows she has to tack to a closer deal with the EU.

Some of them believe it's time now to go hell-for-leather to leave without an overarching deal but move to make as much preparation as possible, and fast.

Other ministers believe genuinely, still with around two weeks to go, and an EU summit next week, there is still time to try to manoeuvre her deal through - somehow.

Among other proposals which could be discussed on Wednesday is a plan for the UK to leave without a formal agreement but with a number of safeguards to minimise economic disruption.

The plan, known as the Malthouse compromise, is backed by Brexiteer members of the European Research Group of Tory MPs, as well as the DUP and former Remain ministers like Nicky Morgan and Damian Green.

It would see the controversial backstop replaced by alternative arrangements, a new transition agreement and a series of "standstill" economic arrangements until the end of 2021.


Media captionCorbyn: PM's Brexit plan "is dead"
Amid reports Brexiteer ministers are demanding a free vote on this proposal, Tory MP Steve Baker told BBC News the plan - which would see Brexit delayed until 22 May - was "eminently reasonable".

But Tory former minister Nick Boles said this would amount to a no-deal exit and the EU would not agree to it.

What would UK do in no-deal scenario?
The government has set out more details of what it would do to attract trade and protect businesses in the event of the UK leaving the EU without an agreement.

Under a temporary scheme 87% of imports by value would be eligible for zero-tariff access - up from 80% at present. Tariffs would be maintained to protect some industries, including agriculture.

The government also announced it will not introduce any new checks or controls, or require customs declarations for any goods moving from across the border from Ireland to Northern Ireland if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

The decision to drop all checks to avoid friction at the UK's land border with the EU will be temporary while longer term solutions are negotiated.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47548498
 
MPs will vote at 19.00 GMT on whether to leave the EU without a deal on 29 March
 
Sammy Wilson of the DUP suggested today the Irish border issue is manufactured as it wasn't mentioned before the referendum.

Someone remind him Blair and Major did a joint conference before the referendum warning about the effects of Brexit on.....the Irish border !
 
BTW Robert Peston has rightly pointed out how stupid this all this.

If the Government further increases the percentage of imported goods subject to zero tariffs and leads us to a no-deal Brexit - then WHAT leverage do we have negotiating trade deals with non-EU countries ??!
 
MPs vote to reject no-deal Brexit

MPs have voted to reject leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

Theresa May said there was a "clear majority" against a no-deal Brexit but the "legal default" was that the UK would leave without a deal on 29 March if no deal is reached.

MPs will now get a vote on delaying Brexit, said the prime minister.

That vote will take place on Thursday, and if it is passed - and the EU agrees to it - the UK will
not leave the EU as planned on 29 March.

The government tabled a motion to prevent the UK from exiting the EU on 29 March without a withdrawal agreement.

But before MPs voted on that, they backed an amendment rejecting a no-deal Brexit under any circumstances - by just four votes.

This dramatic development led to the government ordering Conservative MPs to vote against its own motion.

But the government motion, as amended, was passed by 321 votes to 278, reinforcing the message that MPs do not want to leave without a deal.

MPs also voted by 374 to 164 to reject a plan to delay the UK's departure from the EU until 22 May, 2019 so that there can be what its supporters call a "managed no-deal" Brexit.

This amendment was proposed by Prime Minister Theresa May's former second-in-command, Conservative MP Damian Green, and was backed by prominent Conservative Brexiteers and Remainers.

It was known as the Malthouse Compromise - after Kit Malthouse, the government minister who devised it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47562995
 
The MPs who voted to take No-Deal off the table need to be sacked.

They have taken the biggest bargaining chip off the table.

All May had to do was to take the £39B off the table, and signal a no-deal exit. Then watch the EU come crawling back for a deal.
 
MPs will vote later on whether to ask the EU for permission to delay Brexit beyond the 29 March departure date.

It comes after MPs voted on Wednesday evening to reject a no-deal Brexit under any circumstances.

Prime Minister Theresa May could also make a third attempt to get her EU withdrawal deal through Parliament in the next few days.

The EU said there were two ways the UK could leave - with or without a deal, adding it was ready for either outcome.

The UK government said there could be a short delay to Brexit - or a much longer one - depending on whether MPs backed the prime minister's existing withdrawal deal, which has been agreed with the EU, by 20 March.

If MPs approve Mrs May's deal before next week's EU summit in Brussels, then the extension will be until 30 June.

However, the PM warned that if the deal - which has twice been rejected by overwhelming majorities - is not approved, a longer extension will be needed, requiring the UK to take part in elections for the European Parliament in May.

"I do not think that would be the right outcome," said Mrs May. "But the House needs to face up to the consequences of the decisions it has taken."

In a night of high drama, the Commons first voted on an amendment to reject the UK exiting the EU without a deal by a margin of four.

Then, in another vote, they reinforced that decision by 321 to 278, a majority of 43.

That vote was on a motion that said the UK should not leave the EU without a deal specifically on 29 March, but with the option of a no-deal Brexit at any other time. It had originally been the government's motion.

How did my MP vote on 13 March?
Enter a postcode, or the name or constituency of your MP

Type in 2 or more characters for results.

The government had wanted to keep control of the Brexit process, and keep no-deal on the table, so they ordered Conservative MPs to vote against their own motion.

That tactic failed. Government ministers defied those orders and there were claims Mrs May had lost control of her party.

Thirteen government ministers - including Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, Business Secretary Greg Clark, Justice Secretary David Gauke and Scottish Secretary David Mundell - defied the government whips by abstaining in the vote.

Work and pensions minister Sarah Newton voted against the orders of the whips and has now resigned.

Mr Mundell said he backed the PM's deal and had always made clear his opposition to a no-deal Brexit.

However, Wednesday's no-deal vote is not binding - under current law the UK could still leave without a deal on 29 March, unless an extension is agreed with the EU.

In a crisis there can be opportunity.

This is now a crisis - the rules that traditionally have preserved governments are out of the window.

The prime minister has been defeated again. Her authority - if not all gone - is in shreds.

But for Number 10 there's an opportunity too, because MPs will soon be presented with a new choice - back the PM's deal, which has already been defeated twice, or accept the chance of a delay to Brexit.

This isn't the choice of a government that's in control. But the tactic is to make the best of chaos.

Read more from Laura here.

Speaking after the result of the vote was read out, Mrs May said: "The options before us are the same as they always have been.

"The legal default in EU and UK law is that the UK will leave without a deal unless something else is agreed. The onus is now on every one of us in this House to find out what that is."

MPs also voted by 374 to 164 to reject a plan to delay the UK's departure from the EU until 22 May 2019, so that there can be what its supporters call a "managed no-deal" Brexit.

This amendment was known as the Malthouse Compromise - after Kit Malthouse, the government minister who devised it.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that Parliament must now take control of the Brexit process and his party will work across the House of Commons to seek a compromise solution.

The papers: A 'no-no' to no-deal and May's final warning
The DUP - which twice rejected Mrs May's deal in the Commons - said it was due to have talks with the government on Thursday to see if a solution could be found allowing its MPs to support the PM in a future vote.

A party spokesperson said they wanted to find "a sensible deal for the entire UK and one that works for our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland".

BBC Europe correspondent Kevin Connolly said that before approving any extension to Article 50 - the legal instrument by which the UK will leave the EU - EU leaders would want to know "how long an extension the UK requires and how it proposes to use the time".

A European Commission spokesperson said: "There are only two ways to leave the EU: with or without a deal. The EU is prepared for both.

"To take no deal off the table, it is not enough to vote against no deal - you have to agree to a deal.

"We have agreed a deal with the prime minister and the EU is ready to sign it."

\https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47564793
 
Technics 1210 said:
The MPs who voted to take No-Deal off the table need to be sacked.

They have taken the biggest bargaining chip off the table.

All May had to do was to take the £39B off the table, and signal a no-deal exit. Then watch the EU come crawling back for a deal.
Click to expand...

czRL7U6.gif
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/johnmcdonnellMP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@johnmcdonnellMP</a> tells me Labour will not be backing amendment for second referendum tonight, but could do next week. Also still undecided on whether to back Benn/Cooper/Letwin amendment in indicative votes, which lots of Labour backbenchers are supporting.</p>— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1106151980618129408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Just kill me now
 
More than 2 full years to sort it out and now we're scrambling around for an extension right at the end. Nothing good is going to come off it so might as well just get it over and done with.
 
Brexit: DUP in talks with ministers ahead of third vote

Ministers are in talks with the Democratic Unionists to try to get them to back Theresa May's Brexit deal ahead of a third Commons vote on the package.

The DUP are seeking further legal assurances about the deal, which has been decisively rejected by MPs twice.

The PM has received a boost after Esther McVey, who quit the cabinet over Brexit policy last year, signalled she could vote for the deal next week.

She said the prospect of a long Brexit delay called for "different thinking".

MPs voted on Thursday to ask the EU to push the date of Brexit back from 29 March to 30 June if the Commons approves a deal by next Wednesday - allowing time for legislation to go through.

However, if a deal is not agreed by then, EU leaders are contemplating a much longer delay.

Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay voted against the extension, despite saying in the Commons that voting for it would be in the "national interest".

He told the BBC he would back a short extension to give time for legislation, but not a longer delay.

"If we don't have a deal, then we should leave with no deal," he said. "That's always been my position. We shouldn't be afraid to leave with no deal."

The result prompted a number of Tory MPs to say they will back the deal in the next vote, due to take place by 20 March.

And the DUP, which has opposed the deal up to now, are seeking further "clarifications" on the government's legal advice about the backstop - the controversial arrangement to prevent physical checks on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland - and how the UK could exit it.

What happened this week?

A series of Brexit votes have taken place in the Commons:

-On Tuesday, MPs rejected Mrs May's withdrawal agreement for a second time by 149 votes
-On Wednesday, MPs voted to reject the idea of the UK leaving the EU without a deal under any circumstances
-Then, on Thursday, the Commons voted by 413 to 202 to seek an extension to Article 50 - the legal mechanism by which the UK is due to leave the EU

However, as things stand, the law has not been changed, as Wednesday and Thursday's votes were not legally binding.

That means the UK is still set to leave on 29 March - with or without a deal.

What are the UK's options?

While legally, there does not have to be a delay, politically it might be hard for Mrs May to avoid.

Thursday's motion saw Parliament agree to two options for a delay:

-If MPs support Mrs May's deal next week - before a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on 21 March - then she will ask the EU for an extension of no later than 30 June
-But if they don't support her deal for a third time, there could be a much longer delay and the UK may have to take part in elections for the European Parliament in May

Any delay will require the agreement of all other 27 EU members and talks about possible conditions could take place before the summit.

European Council President Donald Tusk said EU leaders could be open to a long extension "if the UK finds it necessary to rethink its Brexit strategy".

What has the government said?

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, who is regarded as Mrs May's de facto deputy, told the BBC that, although the risk of the UK leaving without a deal had "diminished" as a result of this week's votes, it could still happen unless an alternative solution was found.

He urged MPs to "reflect" over the weekend on the deal on the table, which he said had the "great virtue" of having the backing of all 27 other EU governments and, most likely, the European Parliament too.

"I think there is some real impatience among the British public, and frankly among other EU governments, with this inability to agree in Westminster on the way forward," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"The alternative, spelt out very clearly and accepted by the House of Commons, is that you don't just have a short technical extension to our membership. You almost certainly need a significantly longer one."

Will EU leaders agree to an extension?

EU politicians breathe deep, shuddering sighs at the thought of prolonging the cross-Channel agony of the Brexit process.

So will they or won't they agree to an extension? What conditions could they demand and how long would Brexit be delayed by?

Like so many things to do with Brexit - the answer is: we're not 100% certain.

Earlier this week, a number of EU leaders including France's Emmanuel Macron, Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and Spain's Pedro Sanchez sounded pretty hard-line.

They wouldn't agree to delay Brexit, they said, unless the prime minister came up with a very good reason.

EU leaders are frustrated, irritated and fatigued by the Brexit process but it's also worth bearing in mind that they have two specific audiences in mind these days when they take to the cameras.

Will MPs change their minds about the deal?

his remains unclear.

Mrs May brought back additions to her deal after late night talks in Strasbourg on Monday to try and allay fears about the Irish backstop - the insurance policy to stop a hard border returning to the island of Ireland - as this had been the main sticking point when her deal was voted down the first time.

Tuesday's vote showed that some critics had been won over, but while the PM was not defeated by such an historic margin as she was in January - 230 votes - she still lost by a significant margin.

Now it is a case of persuading Brexiteer backbenchers in the European Research Group and the Democratic Unionist Party, as well as trying to win over members of the opposition.

Some MPs have suggested looking into whether the backstop could be solved by using Article 62 of the Vienna Convention - which would allow the UK to withdraw from any treaty if there had been "a fundamental change of circumstances... which was not foreseen by the parties".

In a letter to the Times, cross-bench peer and QC Lord Pannick said the UK would be "entitled to terminate the withdrawal agreement" under this clause - although he questioned whether it would be "wise politically".

Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom said the government's Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox, had considered the matter and would comment further if he thought it was necessary.

Where do the parties stand?

The past week's votes have exposed divisions in the main parties.

More than half of Tory MPs - including seven cabinet ministers - voted against Mrs May's motion to put back the date when Britain leaves the EU.

Downing Street said this was a "natural consequence" of Mrs May's decision to offer a free vote on an issue where there are "strong views on all sides of the debate".

And in the Labour Party, 41 MPs rebelled against party orders on Thursday to abstain in a vote on a possible new referendum - with 24 supporting a referendum and 17 voting to oppose one.

Five of those MPs have resigned from their roles in the party as a result.

Shadow trade secretary Barry Gardiner said Thursday's vote was about securing an extension to negotiations and was not the right time to vote for another referendum.

"If it's the only way we can stop a no deal or a bad deal, then that is when it comes into play," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Gina Miller, who took the government to court to force them to consult Parliament on the Brexit process, also told the programme she did not believe Thursday was the right time to push for another referendum - but insisted the option was not off the table, despite being heavily defeated by MPs.

"You have to try and exhaust all the other options first and if parliament can't resolve it, it's at that point that it goes back to the people," she said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47579033
 
_106022263_brexit_flowchart_article_50_v3_640-nc.png



Theresa May has asked MPs to make an "honourable compromise" as she seeks to persuade them to back her Brexit deal at the third time of asking.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the prime minister said failure to support the deal would mean "we will not leave the EU for many months, if ever".

Mrs May is expected to bring her withdrawal agreement back to the Commons next week for a third vote.

It comes after MPs this week rejected her deal and voted to delay Brexit.

The EU will decide the terms and conditions of any extension. Legally, the UK is still due to leave the EU on 29 March.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has written to MPs across the Commons inviting them for talks to find a cross-party compromise.

Mrs May says if Parliament votes for her withdrawal deal before an EU leaders' summit on Thursday, the UK will seek a short delay to Brexit to pass the necessary legislation.

"That is not an ideal outcome - we could and should have been leaving the EU on March 29," she said.

"But it is something the British people would accept if it led swiftly to delivering Brexit. The alternative if Parliament cannot agree the deal by that time is much worse."

If a deal is not agreed before Thursday, EU leaders are contemplating a much longer delay.

Mrs May said it would be a "potent symbol of Parliament's collective political failure" if a delay to Brexit meant the UK was forced to take part in May's European elections - almost three years after voting to leave the EU.

On Tuesday, MPs overwhelmingly rejected Mrs May's withdrawal agreement for a second time - this time by 149 votes.

In her article, Mrs May said she has more to do to convince dozens of Tory MPs to back the deal - as well as getting the Democratic Unionist Party to drop their opposition.

She wrote: "I am convinced that the time to define ourselves by how we voted in 2016 must now end.

"We can only put those old labels aside if we stand together as democrats and patriots, pragmatically making the honourable compromises necessary to heal division and move forward."

The DUP, which has twice voted against the agreement, said there were "still issues to be discussed" and it remained in talks with the government.

The 10 votes provided by the DUP, which props up the government, are thought to be key to the prime minister securing her deal.

Former Cabinet minister Esther McVey, who resigned over the Brexit agreement, has suggested fellow Brexiteers could back Mrs May's "rubbish" deal next week to make sure the UK leaves the EU.


Mr Corbyn has offered talks with opposition leaders and backbench MPs in an effort to find a Brexit compromise which could replace Mrs May's plan.

The Labour leader has invited Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable, DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Plaid's Liz Saville Roberts and Green MP Caroline Lucas.

In his letter, he called for urgent meetings to find a "solution that ends the needless uncertainty and worry" caused by Mrs May's "failed" Brexit negotiations.

https://www.bbc.com/news/47599860
 
John Bercow has ruled out another vote on the government's previously rejected Brexit agreement if the motion remains "substantially the same".

He told the Commons that parliamentary conventions dating back to 1604 meant MPs could not be asked to vote on precisely the same subject twice.

MPs rejected Theresa May's Brexit deal with the EU by 149 votes last week.

Mr Bercow's ruling came as the government considers a third attempt to get the deal through Parliament.

He said the second vote on the prime minister's deal last week was "in order" but any further votes must pass this "test" in order to be allowed.

The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said the Speaker's intervention could have a "massive" impact on the Brexit process - with 11 days to go before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU on 29 March.

Mrs May had previously committed to holding a new vote on her withdrawal agreement in the coming days, but ministers have said this will not happen unless they are "confident" of victory.

The prime minister's official spokesman said Mr Bercow "did not warn us of the contents of the statement or indeed the fact that he was making one".

Mr Bercow made his ruling in response to what he said were MPs' concerns that the government would seek "bring the same deal back to the House ad infinitum" and ask them to "repeatedly pronounce on fundamentally the same proposition".

He said last week's second vote on the deal had not fallen foul of parliamentary conventions.

The government, he said, had secured "legal changes" to its agreement with the EU and what MPs had been asked to consider was different from the agreement rejected by 230 votes in January.

But quoting Erskine May, the parliamentary rulebook, he said if the government attempted to bring back "the same or substantially the same motion" in the coming days then he would intervene to stop it.

The convention, he added, was "necessary to ensure the sensible use of the House's time and the proper respect for the decisions it takes".

Brexiteers welcome ruling
Opponents of the PM's Brexit deal welcomed the Speaker's ruling.

Conservative former cabinet minister Owen Paterson said it was a "game-changer" and would "concentrate minds" ahead of a EU summit on Thursday - at which EU leaders will consider to grant the UK an extension to the Brexit process.

He said the prime minister should make it very clear to her European counterparts that the "law of the land" stated the UK would leave, with or without a deal, on 29 March.

Sir Bill Cash, chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee, said it seemed to make an "enormous amount of sense" given that the Brexit deal has been defeated twice and there would need to be a "substantial difference" to allow a third vote.

But the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford suggested there was now a "constitutional crisis" and he suggested the prime minister should "immediately" call a meeting of opposition leaders.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47614074
 
Last edited:
Well done Bercow. Stop the PM from running the clock down even further.
 
Controversial but IMO justified intervention from Bercow.

Oddly enough though he has unintentionally increased the chances of No Deal.
 
Brexit: Theresa May to discuss next steps after Bercow ruling

Prime Minister Theresa May will meet her cabinet later as she considers her next steps on Brexit, after her plans were thrown into doubt by the House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow.

Mrs May had been considering a third vote on her Brexit deal, which has already been rejected twice.

But in a surprise ruling on Monday, Mr Bercow ruled out another vote, unless substantial changes are made first.

One minister said the government was now looking at its options.

Nadhim Zahawi, Children and Families' minister, told BBC Newsnight that one of the options was for MPs to vote on whether to ignore the 400-year-old convention that Mr Bercow had cited in making his ruling.

Brexit minister Kwasi Kwarteng earlier told the Commons the government was now hoping to ask the EU for a delay to Brexit.

He said the length of the delay would depend on whether Mrs May's Brexit deal is approved. If the deal is agreed, the delay could be short, but if not it could be longer.

How could Brexit be delayed?

It is written into law that the UK is due to leave the EU at the end of next week - 29 March. The government can ask the EU to delay Brexit but all 27 EU leaders would need to give their permission.

Mrs May has been trying to get her Brexit withdrawal agreement - the "divorce" deal, which she has already agreed with the EU - signed off by MPs in time, but they have voted against it twice.

She had been considering to ask MPs to vote on the deal again in the coming days.

But without giving any warning, Mr Bercow made a statement on Monday saying this was not possible. He cited a parliamentary rule dating from 1604 which states that a defeated motion could not be brought back in the same form during the course of a parliamentary session.

Now, talks are under way within government about what to do next and Mrs May will meet her cabinet on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, EU ministers are meeting in Brussels to prepare for this week's summit of EU leaders who are expected to discuss whether to grant an extension to the Brexit process.

In his Newsnight interview, Mr Zahawi, who is a Brexiteer, was asked whether the government was going to bypass Mr Bercow's ruling. He said: "Let's see, we have to look at all our options.

Education minister Mr Zahawi said he does not support a long extension to Brexit

"If there's a majority in Parliament, I would prefer that we can set aside this convention and have a vote and go and take a short extension and get on with Brexit - which I think is where my prime minister's at."

Mr Zahawi added that the Speaker had "made it now much more difficult to have the short extension" and a meaningful vote.

"Therefore the longer extension is now clearly on the table. I don't believe that's a good thing".

"What Speaker Bercow has done has made it much more likely that we don't deliver Brexit."

Nikki da Costa, former director of legal affairs at Downing Street, told BBC Radio 4's Today that Mr Bercow had taken the "hardest possible ruling" on the Parliamentary convention regarding defeated motions but if Mrs May's deal was starting to win acceptance it would be possible for her to get MPs to overturn the speaker's decision.

She added: "I think the PM and the government can still have a third meaningful vote... but it will be extraordinarily difficult to have a fourth meaningful vote so I think MPs really have to think very carefully if that vote does come back."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is due to meet the leaders of the SNP, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and Green Party for talks on Brexit.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Lib Dem leader Vince Cable, Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas have all released a joint statement calling for another referendum.

"The best and most democratic way forward is to put the decision back to the people in a new vote - with the option to Remain on the ballot paper," they said.

What happened with Brexit last week?

Mr Corbyn will also meet members of the group of MPs calling for a so-called Norway Plus style of future relationship with the EU.

And European Council president Donald Tusk will hold talks with Irish premier Leo Varadkar in Dublin.

Mrs May is due to meet EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday at the previously scheduled summit.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47620235
 
The government says it will try to get Theresa May's Brexit deal through the Commons, despite Speaker John Bercow throwing the process into doubt.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay suggested a vote could take place next week - after Mrs May has sought a delay to Brexit from the EU.

Mr Bercow has ruled that the PM can not bring her deal back for a third vote without "substantial" changes.

The UK is due to leave the EU in 10 days with or without a deal.

The prime minister had hoped to have another try at getting MPs to back the withdrawal deal she has agreed with the EU this week - but Speaker Bercow effectively torpedoed that with his surprise intervention on Monday.

Stephen Barclay told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the Commons Speaker had made a "serious ruling" and ministers were giving it "serious consideration".

He said it was important to "respect the referee" and abide by his decisions - but, he added, Mr Bercow himself had said, in the past, that if Parliament was guided only by precedent then "nothing ever would change".

Mr Bercow cited a ruling from 1604 to justify his decision to block a third vote, after the PM's deal was rejected for a second time last week, by 149 votes.

Mr Barclay suggested that MPs would "find a way" to get another vote, if the government manages to persuade enough of them, including the 10 Democratic Unionists, to change their mind and back the deal.

He suggested it would also depend on Theresa May getting "clarity" from the EU on the "terms of an extension" to Brexit.

He accepted that there would now have to be a "short extension" to the Article 50 withdrawal process if the deal gets through Parliament, to get the necessary legislation through.

Mrs May is writing to European Council President Donald Tusk to ask for an extension.

The PM has warned Brexiteer Tories that a long extension may be needed if they do not back her deal but Downing Street said it would not reveal what the PM has asked for at this stage.

There would, however, need to be a vote in both Houses of Parliament to change the 29 March departure date, which is written into law, the PM's spokesman said.

Mr Bercow refused to discuss his decision when quizzed by the BBC, as he made his way to Parliament earlier.

What are the options?
Government ministers and MPs have been floating different ideas on how to get a vote on the prime minister's deal, in light of the Speaker's ruling.

Children and Families' minister Nadhim Zahawi told BBC Newsnight that one of the options was for MPs to vote on whether to ignore the 400-year-old convention that Mr Bercow had cited in making his ruling.

Mr Zahawi, who is a Brexiteer, was asked whether the government was going to bypass Mr Bercow's ruling. He said: "Let's see, we have to look at all our options."

Solicitor General Robert Buckland said a vote to overrule the Speaker was the most likely way forward.

He told BBC Radio Wiltshire that if enough MPs show they want another vote on the Brexit deal, it can return to Parliament despite the current block.

He said this would be a more practical solution than asking the Queen to formally close and reopen Parliament, which some have suggested would get round the rule that MPs cannot be repeatedly asked to vote on the same question in a Parliamentary session.

Nikki da Costa, former director of legal affairs at Downing Street, told the Today programme: "I think the PM and the government can still have a third meaningful vote... but it will be extraordinarily difficult to have a fourth meaningful vote so I think MPs really have to think very carefully if that vote does come back."

There is also a question mark over whether any agreement reached by Theresa May in Brussels on extending Brexit would overrule a vote by MPs, as it would have force under international law.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would struggle until the last possible moment to achieve an orderly Brexit, saying the interests of Germany, Britain and the EU were at stake.

"I will fight to the last hour of the deadline on 29 March for an orderly exit," she told a press conference in Berlin. "We don't have a lot of time for it but still have a few days."

EU ministers are, meanwhile, meeting in Brussels to prepare for this week's summit.

Germany's Europe minister, Michael Roth, said: "Our patience is really being put to the test at the moment and I can only ask our partners in London to finally make a concrete proposal why they are seeking an extension."

France's Europe minister, Nathalie Loiseau, said: "'Grant an extension, what for?' is always the question. Time is not a solution... we need a decision from London."

European Commission chief Jean Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk, who is holding talks with Irish premier Leo Varadkar in Dublin. are due to hold press conferences later.

What about the opposition parties?
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is due to meet the leaders of the SNP, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and Green Party for talks on Brexit.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Lib Dem leader Vince Cable, Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas have all released a joint statement calling for another referendum.

"The best and most democratic way forward is to put the decision back to the people in a new vote - with the option to Remain on the ballot paper," they said.

Mr Corbyn will also meet members of the group of MPs calling for a so-called Norway Plus style of future relationship with the EU.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47620235
 
Theresa May believes UK in 'crisis' over Brexit, says Downing Street

Theresa May believes the UK is in "crisis" over Brexit after she was blocked from bringing an unchanged withdrawal agreement back to the House of Commons, Downing Street has said.

The prime minister and her cabinet discussed Brexit for an hour-and-a-half on Tuesday following a major intervention by House of Commons Speaker John Bercow.

Citing a centuries-old convention on Monday, Mr Bercow blocked Mrs May from bringing back her twice-defeated Brexit deal for a third vote in the Commons unless it is "substantially" different.

Prior to the speaker's ruling, the prime minister had been expected to hold another vote on her withdrawal agreement this week before a summit of EU leaders on Thursday.

She will now write to European Council President Donald Tusk, setting out the UK's position in relation to an extension to the Article 50 period and a delay to Brexit.

Mrs May has previously said MPs finally approving her Brexit deal this week would see a short delay, but a continuing failure to back a withdrawal agreement would likely mean a much longer extension to the UK's membership of the EU.

The prime minister has also warned this would mean the UK has to take part in EU elections in May.

https://news.sky.com/story/theresa-...s-downing-street-11670218?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
 
Theresa May is writing to the EU to ask for Brexit to be postponed until 30 June with the option of a longer delay, cabinet sources say.

One minister told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg there was "no agreement" around the cabinet table.

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the EU would not grant a delay without a "concrete plan" from the UK about what they would do with it.

Under current law the UK will leave the EU with or without a deal in 10 days.

The prime minister says the UK will need a short extension to get the necessary legislation through Parliament, if MPs back her withdrawal deal.

She has warned Brexiteer Tories a longer extension will be needed if the deal does not get through Parliament - but any delay will have to be agreed by all 27 EU member states.

One cabinet source said the longer delay could be up to two years, but Downing Street sources said there was no final decision at cabinet on the length of an extension and a date had not been set.

Another cabinet source said they were frustrated that the PM had not been clear about which delay option she would be arguing for.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47627744
 
Brexit: Cabinet split on length of delay

"It's like the last days of Rome." "It's chaos."

On the outside, the government is poised to send a letter to the European Union ahead of talks in Brussels at some point tomorrow, with the final draft likely to be completed in the morning by the prime minister and her team of advisers.

The letter will spell out the kind of delay the government is seeking to the Brexit process.

The delay, and the next steps in our departure, were the subject of a 90-minute discussion at cabinet this morning.

But ministers and advisers on the inside have a rather different view of what's going on.

The cabinet is still split, with some ministers who believe that a long delay is needed.

So, as one outlined today that the "best thing for the country is for someone else to grab control of the order paper and move to a customs union" - translated, push for a long pause on Brexit so that Parliament can wrangle its way to a softer Brexit.

Others, like the leader of the House, who sources say argued the case with force today, believe that the government should ask for a short delay, then ramp up to leave without a formal arrangement with the EU, having had more time to prepare.

One minister who was in the room suggested the prime minister gave the impression that she would ask the EU for an extension to the end of June, with the option of (you guessed it) a "backstop" option of a delay of up to two years.

But another minister said they left the meeting with the view that there had, in fact, been no judgement really made at all.

Another insider was boiling with frustration that, in their view, yet again, Theresa May was failing to express what she actually wants to do clearly, and allowing the Tory Party, and of course Parliament - and more importantly the rest of the country - twist in the wind while she grinds on.

There is also, as ever, a less theological group of ministers who are trying to help manage the competing factions, although some of their colleagues on the backbenches believe they are just passive passengers.

Just in case you needed reminding, delaying Brexit at all goes against the promise that Mrs May made so many times.

And how long for is of course a question of massive significance to the country, and also, may have a bearing on whether the government has a real chance of finally ramming its EU compromise deal through Parliament before too long.

It is still possible that could happen, and when it does, happen rather fast.

But the latest cabinet nightmare over the delay tests almost to destruction the notion that this administration finds it almost impossible to reach meaningful conclusions on Brexit, so profound are the divisions inside.

Officially, Downing Street sources denied there was any firm conclusion of timelines, although the prime minister has said on many occasions she wants it done as soon as possible and has mentioned the short "technical" extension of 30 June many times.

They say there has been no final decision.

For Mrs May's growing number of critics in her own government, that is exactly the point.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47633569
 
Theresa May will not be asking the EU for a long delay when she formally requests that Brexit is postponed.

Number 10 said the PM shared the public's "frustration" at Parliament's "failure to take a decision".

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said the EU will not grant a delay without a "concrete plan" from the UK about what they would do with it.

Under current law, the UK will leave the EU - with or without a deal - in nine days.

BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said the delay would not be beyond the end of June.

Any delay will have to be agreed by all 27 EU member states and Mrs May is heading to Brussels on Thursday to discuss the options with fellow leaders.

It comes after MPs rejected the withdrawal deal Mrs May has negotiated with the EU for a second time last week by 149 votes. They also voted in favour of ruling out leaving the EU without a deal, and in favour of extending the Brexit process.

The prime minister had hoped to have a third attempt at getting MPs to back her deal - but Speaker John Bercow effectively torpedoed that with his surprise intervention.

Explaining that Mrs May "won't be asking for a long extension" when she writes to the EU, Number 10 said: "There is a case for giving Parliament a bit more time to agree a way forward, but the people of this country have been waiting nearly three years now.

"They are fed up with Parliament's failure to take a decision and the PM shares their frustration."

What happens next?

The PM is writing to the EU to ask for Brexit to be postponed
Mrs May will travel to an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the delay options
All 27 EU members have to agree to any extension proposed
If an extension is agreed, Mrs May will probably try to get her deal - that was previously heavily defeated - through Parliament
MPs and peers will also get a vote on any delay
Talks have been continuing with the DUP and Tory Brexiteers who voted against the deal
The government could seek to hold a third "meaningful vote" on the withdrawal agreement next week
But the speaker has said he will not let MPs vote again if the question is exactly the same
The UK leaves the EU on 29 March with or without a deal, unless a delay is agreed
While Mrs May still wants to put her deal before MPs one more time, she has said that even if that goes ahead and they vote in favour of it, the UK would need a short extension to get the necessary legislation through Parliament.

Mrs May had warned Brexiteer Tories that a longer extension would be needed if her deal does not get through Parliament.

Norman Smith said that if the EU agrees to a three-month delay, it opens up the possibility that the third meaningful vote could be extended beyond next week.

But he added that the risk of taking a long delay off the table is that "Brexiteers can now just sit on their hands until 30 June".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47636011
 
Theresa May has told the public she is "on their side", laying the blame for the delay to Brexit squarely with MPs.

Speaking from Downing Street, the prime minister said people were "tired of infighting and political games" and it was "high time" politicians made a decision on the next steps.

Earlier, Mrs May wrote to EU Council President Donald Tusk requesting to delay Brexit until 30 June.

Jeremy Corbyn said she was "in complete denial about the scale of the crisis".

Mrs May was forced to ask for a postponement after MPs twice rejected the withdrawal deal she has negotiated and also voted to reject a no-deal departure.

She said the delay was a "matter of great personal regret", but insisted she would not be willing to extend Brexit any further than 30 June - despite appeals from some MPs for a longer extension to give time for a change in direction.

The UK is set to leave the EU next Friday, on 29 March, unless the law is changed.

All other 27 EU members would have to agree any extension beyond that date.

Mr Tusk said he believed the EU would agree to a short extension, but only if Mrs May's deal is signed off by MPs next week at a third time of asking.

'Time to decide'
In her statement, Mrs May said: "Of this I am absolutely sure. You, the public, have had enough.

"You are tired of the infighting, tired of the political games and the arcane procedural rows, tired of MPs talking about nothing else but Brexit when you have real concerns about our children's schools, our National Health Service, knife crime.

"You want this stage of the Brexit process to be over and done with. I agree. I am on your side."

The PM said it was "now time for MPs to decide" whether they wanted to leave with her deal, no deal or whether they chose not to leave at all - the latter, she warned, could cause "irreparable damage to public trust" in politicians.

"So far Parliament has done everything possible to avoid making a choice," said Mrs May. "All MPs have been willing to say is what they do not want."

She made a final appeal to MPs to back her deal and told the public: "You just want us to get on with it and that is what I am determined to do."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47647515
 
Brexit: Theresa May at Brussels EU summit to urge short delay

Theresa May will make a direct plea to EU leaders later asking to postpone Brexit for three months, hours after telling the British public a delay was "a matter of great personal regret".

At an EU summit in Brussels, she will try to persuade the other 27 countries to delay the UK's exit beyond 29 March.

On Wednesday, the PM made a speech blaming the delay on MPs and telling the nation she was "on their side".

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn is also due in Brussels for separate Brexit talks.

EU leaders are expected to arrive at the two-day summit from 13:00 GMT.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47648565
 
Brexit: Theresa May 'hopes' UK will leave EU with a deal

Theresa May has said she "sincerely hopes" the UK will leave the EU with a deal and she is still "working on" ensuring Parliament's agreement.

Arriving in Brussels, she said that she had "personal regret" over her request to delay Brexit, but said it will allow time for MPs to make a "final choice".

At the EU summit she will try to persuade the other 27 countries to delay the UK's exit beyond 29 March.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn said his talks in Brussels were "very constructive".

On Wednesday, Mrs May made a speech blaming the delay on MPs and telling the nation she was "on their side".

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that if MPs vote down Mrs May's EU withdrawal agreement next week, the UK will leave without a deal.

"In the case of a negative British vote then we'd be heading to a no deal. We all know it. And it's essential to be clear in these days and moments," said Mr Macron, as he arrived at the summit.

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said that a short Brexit delay "should be conditional on a positive vote next week in the House of Commons".

"We have done our best, now the solution is in London," he said.

On her arrival in Brussels, Mrs May said: "A short extension gives us that opportunity to decide to leave the European Union, to deliver on that result of that referendum and I sincerely hope that will be with a negotiated deal."

She added: "I'm still working on ensuring that Parliament can agree a deal so that we can leave in an orderly way."

Earlier, speaking in the German Parliament, Angela Merkel said the EU could meet Mrs May's request to delay Brexit if in the next week there was a "positive vote" on the withdrawal agreement in the UK Parliament.

The German Chancellor said European elections at the end of May would have to be considered during discussions on the suggested extension deadline of 30 June, adding: "But of course we can certainly talk about a short term extension."

Leaders want to avoid no-deal Brexit

Beware the reports of "huge" differences between EU leaders when it comes to a Brexit delay and the way forward in the coming days.

Take Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Emmanuel Macron: there are big differences in their political styles.

And big differences in the message they want to send their own domestic audiences (tough for France; open for Germany) when talking about Brexit.

But like most EU leaders - irritation, frustration and Brexit fatigue aside - they would rather avoid a costly no-deal Brexit.

Chancellor Merkel, like European Council President Donald Tusk has announced she will work "until the last hours" to try to avoid it.

And while EU leaders have ruled out re-opening the Brexit withdrawal agreement and the "backstop" text, you can bet they'll discuss a longer Brexit delay at their summit today.

They will also discuss the short delay requested by Theresa May, in case - as the EU fears - chaos and division continue next week in Westminster.

he UK is set to leave the EU next Friday unless the law is changed. The current default position for leaving is without a withdrawal agreement.

Mrs May agreed a deal with the EU, but MPs have rejected it twice.

She has asked the EU for a short extension of the two-year Brexit process until 30 June, but any extension needs to be agreed to by all EU members.

European Council President Donald Tusk said he believed the EU would agree to a short extension, but this would only be if Mrs May's deal is signed off by MPs next week. Another EU summit next week could be called in an emergency if needed, he said.

Mr Tusk said the "question remains open" as to how long a delay the other EU leaders would support.

Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar said that he appreciated the situation in London was "somewhat chaotic" and for that reason "we need to cut the entire British establishment a little bit of slack on this".

He said there was "openness to an extension" as "nobody wants no deal".

In her speech from Number 10 on Wednesday evening, Mrs May insisted she would not be willing to postpone Brexit any further than 30 June, despite appeals from some MPs.

She added: "Of this I am absolutely sure. You, the public, have had enough.

"You are tired of the infighting, tired of the political games and the arcane procedural rows, tired of MPs talking about nothing else but Brexit when you have real concerns about our children's schools, our National Health Service, knife crime.

"You want this stage of the Brexit process to be over and done with. I agree. I am on your side."

She said it was now up to MPs to decide whether they wanted to leave with her deal, no deal or not to leave at all. But she warned that the latter option could cause "irreparable damage to public trust" in politicians.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK would be faced with three options if Mrs May's deal was defeated again next week: revoke Article 50; leave without a deal; or a longer extension could be granted at an emergency EU summit, but with "onerous conditions".

"The choice that we have now is one of resolving this issue or extreme unpredictability," Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He also defended the prime minister's statement, saying Mrs May was under "extraordinary pressure" and MPs have a "special responsibility" in a hung Parliament.

Many MPs have expressed anger at Mrs May's comments, with Conservative MP Nicky Morgan telling the BBC's World at One they were "terribly misjudged".

Fellow Tory Ben Bradley, who had backed Mrs May's deal, said they were "not helpful".

Meanwhile, union and business leaders have written a joint letter to Mrs May urging her to "change course" in her approach to Brexit, saying the UK is facing a "national emergency".

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady and CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn have requested a meeting to discuss their concerns.

They said: "Our country is facing a national emergency. Decisions of recent days have caused the risk of no deal to soar.

"Firms and communities across the UK are not ready for this outcome. The shock to our economy would be felt by generations to come."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said talks with EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and European Commission secretary general Martin Selmayr in Brussels were "very constructive".

"Our determination is to prevent a no-deal exit from the European Union next Friday," he said.

"We are therefore looking for alternatives and building a majority in Parliament that can agree on a future constructive economic relationship with the European Union."

He said he had been "reaching out" to colleagues from all parties in Parliament on this.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47648565
 
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The UK could be offered a Brexit delay to 22 May on the condition MPs approve the PM's deal next week, a draft European Council document says.

The draft says the EU is considering delaying Brexit beyond 29 March, but it says no extension is possible beyond the European elections.

In Brussels, the PM spoke to leaders to try to get their backing for a delay.

The BBC's Katya Adler said these were draft decisions, and leaders were continuing discussions.

And the BBC's Brussels correspondent Adam Fleming said he had been told that EU leaders were now discussing an extension to 7 May instead.

He said Theresa May had spoken to EU leaders for 90 minutes and was asked several times what her contingency plans were if she lost the third "meaningful vote" on her deal in Parliament.

EU leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss Mrs May's request for a three-month delay to the UK's departure from the EU.

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that if MPs vote down Mrs May's EU withdrawal agreement next week, the UK will leave without a deal.

"In the case of a negative British vote then we'd be heading to a no deal. We all know it. And it's essential to be clear in these days and moments," said Mr Macron as he arrived at the summit.

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said that a short Brexit delay "should be conditional on a positive vote next week in the House of Commons".

"We have done our best, now the solution is in London," he said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47660019
 
The EU throws Theresa May one last Brexit lifeline

Brussels, Belgium (CNN)At the end of a dramatic day here in Brussels, Theresa May was thrown what could very well be her last Brexit lifeline.

At 11.20 p.m. local time, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, finally announced that 27 EU leaders had agreed unanimously on a response to the British Prime Minister's request to delay Brexit and avoid a chaotic split on March 29. And to everyone's surprise, they offered her two options.

First, a short delay, giving the UK until May 22 to get its affairs in order before leaving the EU. But that option is only available if lawmakers in the House of Commons approve May's overall withdrawal deal next week.

Alternatively, option two kicks in if May loses the third "meaningful" vote on her deal. That allows the UK to stay in the EU until April 12, at which point it must make a choice: Take part in the European parliamentary elections in May and seek a longer delay to Brexit, or don't. Should it come to it, the implications of that decision will be the next big Brexit bust-up.

It all seems quite simple. But it's hard to explain how tense things felt in the EU capital on Thursday. As a promised 6 p.m. press conference got pushed back, all that was clear was that nothing was clear at all.
Earlier in the day, European Council President Donald Tusk had put on the table a plan for a short extension to the Brexit process -- until May 22, contingent upon the House of Commons ratifying the withdrawal agreement.

Across Brussels, the mood was gloomy. No one outside Theresa May's inner circle believed that the withdrawal deal's prospects in Westminster were much better than those of a snowflake in Tusk's special corner of hell. In the eyes of many here, that made a no-deal crash-out more likely than ever before.

On the sidelines of the summit, EU officials were openly discussing what would happen when, not if, May's deal failed again. Some were suggesting inviting British lawmakers from across the political divide to Brussels to seek a cross-party path forward. There was even talk of offering a longer delay if the UK held a general election or, potentially worse, a second referendum. No one could possibly know how any of the scenarios would play out.

All these options had one aim: To prevent no deal on March 29, the date sealed two years ago when Britain fatefully set the Article 50 countdown clock ticking.

Thursday night's surprise announcement of a new, two-part timetable will go some way to reducing this concern. If nothing else, it has reiterated the EU member states' commitment to avoiding no deal. For months, they've made it clear that they had no intention of being blamed for such an outcome.

But the EU is committed to something else, just as strongly: Not interfering in the politics of a sovereign nation. Especially not one that is leaving the union.

That's where we come back to the choices that now face the UK. Next week, UK lawmakers could fall into line and back May's deal, which is the EU's preferred option, and everyone can get on with the next stage -- negotiations on the future relationship. (And if you thought the past two years were bad, they were meant to be the easy bit.) The UK might even find some stability -- even if that means getting rid of its battle-scarred Prime Minister.

Or, Members of Parliament could vote the deal down. At this point, the UK would be forced to do some soul searching as it must decide by April 12 whether to take part in the European parliamentary elections, which begin on May 23.

If it decided not to participate in those elections, Britain could simply not remain in the EU. Without approval for a withdrawal deal, May 22 would become the new March 29, a cliff-edge over which the UK would be obliged to hurl itself.

But if the UK did decide to take part in those elections and seek a longer delay to Brexit, get ready for fireworks. Brexiteers would say, with some justification, that Brexit had been stolen. The prospect of Britain remaining in the EU would become considerably more likely and the already divided politics of the UK would become considerably more fractious.

And if you think that's a fantasy, consider these facts: First, when a journalist asked European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker to define a long delay, he replied: "To the very end." Second: The House of Commons is instinctively more Europhile than it is Euroskeptic. Third: We are still nowhere near May's deal being passed. And fourth, on the same day that this news landed, more than 2 million people signed a petition on the government's website for the UK to revoke the Article 50 process altogether.

What all that means is this: Not long after having thrown itself at the mercy of Brussels, Brussels pushed the Brexit ball firmly back into the UK's court.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/21/uk/eu-theresa-may-brexit-lifeline-intl-gbr/index.html
 
The EU has handed Theresa May two weeks’ grace to devise an alternative Brexit plan if her deal falls next week after the prime minister failed to convince the bloc that she was capable of avoiding a no-deal Brexit.

After a marathon late-night session of talks, the EU’s leaders ripped up May’s proposals and a new Brexit timeline was pushed on the prime minister to avoid the cliff-edge deadline of 29 March – next Friday.

Under the deal agreed by May, Britain will now stay a member state until 12 April if the withdrawal agreement is rejected by MPs at the third time of asking.

The government will be able to seek a longer extension during that period if it can both “indicate a way forward” and agree to hold European elections.

In the unlikely event that May does win the support of the Commons when the Brexit deal goes to MPs again on Tuesday, the UK will stay a member state until 22 May to allow necessary withdrawal legislation to be passed.

“The 12 April is the new 29 March,” an EU official said.

Donald Tusk, the European council president, told reporters in a late-night press conference that he had several meetings through the evening to secure May’s agreement.

He said: “What this means in practice is that, until that date, all options will remain open, and the cliff-edge date will be delayed. The UK government will still have a choice of a deal, no-deal, a long extension or revoking article 50.”

Asked how long an extension could be on offer, the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, said: “Until the very end.”

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, told reporters as he left the summit that the EU had acted to protect its interests in response to a “vacuum” in Westminster.

“The EU in a very clear manner has today responded to a British political crisis,” he said. “The British politicians are incapable to put in place what their people have demanded. Their people voted for Brexit.”

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, described the last-minute deal as “satisfactory for both sides” and one that would safeguard the EU’s institutions in the run-up to European elections. “As far as Spain’s concerned, it’s a good deal,” he said.

“We’re at a critical moment in the construction of Europe,” he said. “History will judge what happens over the coming weeks. Spanish citizens in the UK and Britons in Spain need to know that the government is prepared for a disorderly exit. The EU and the Spanish government have attached amendments to the agreement. But it doesn’t depend on us any more – it depends on the British government.”

Earlier on Thursday, May had made an address to leaders described as “90 minutes of nothing”, by sources, during which she failed to persuade the bloc that she had a plan to avoid a no-deal Brexit.

May had been asking for an extension to article 50 until 30 June to make time for vital legislation to pass should she manage to get her deal through the Commons next week.

But her appeal “dismally” failed to offer any answers as to what she would do if the deal was blocked by MPs again, sources said, provoking EU leaders into taking matters into their own hands and in effect taking control of her future.

“She didn’t even give clarity if she is organising a vote,” said one aide to a leader. “Asked three times what she would do if she lost the vote, she couldn’t say. It was awful. Dreadful. Evasive even by her standards.”

When leaders asked May what she was going to do if her deal was voted down, an official added that the prime minister replied that she was following her plan A of getting it through. It was then that the EU decided that “she didn’t have a plan so they needed to come up with one for her”, the source added.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...eizes-control-of-brexit-date?CMP=share_btn_wa
 
The last two weeks have been astonishing.

Brexit is already built into both UK and EU Law to take effect from 29 March.

Meanwhile both the Conservatives and Labour went into the last election pledging to honour the Brexit referendum.

But most MPs wanted to Remain, and the EU establishment believed that, like France, Holland, Ireland and Denmark, if the terms for Brexit were punitive enough, the British government would make Remain happen.

In reality, with Brexit already in EU and UK Law from 29 March, the choice these last two weeks was not Brexit or Remain.

It was Brexit with or without the only Deal the EU would offer.

But for so many Remain-Learning MP’s, every motion put to Parliament was an opportunity to amend it to outlaw a No Deal Brexit or to force a second referendum.

But such motions are pointless - they are not binding.

Even now, with a Tory PM, the only outcomes are No Deal Brexit or This Deal Brexit.

But still MPs seek pointless extensions, even though the EU side has made crystal clear that there will be no further negotiations.

We will get to 28 March and with everyone understanding that No Deal Brexit is a day away, a cross-party Vote of No Confidence might bring down Theresa May.

Then the clock will tick over, Brexit will happen in a vacuum, and Michael Gove will become the Brexit Prime Minister.

Maybe.
 
Petition to revoke A50 now at 4.1 million and still growing....
 
Tens of thousands are marching through central London calling for another EU referendum, as MPs search for a way out of the Brexit impasse.

Demonstrators from the "Put It To The People" campaign are marching from Park Lane to Parliament Square, before rallying in front of Parliament.

It comes after the EU agreed to delay the UK's departure from the EU.

PM Theresa May has said she will ditch plans for another vote on her Brexit deal if not enough MPs support it.

Unless that deal is passed by MPs, the UK will have to come up with an alternative plan or else face leaving without a deal on 12 April.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted a video of himself joining demonstrators holding up a 'Put it to the People' banner at the front of the march as it began.

He was flanked at the front of the march by Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable, who tweeted that there was a "huge turnout of people here from all walks of life".

Meanwhile, a record-breaking online petition on Parliament's website calling for Brexit to be cancelled by revoking Article 50 has attracted more than 4.3 million signatures.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said the petition could "give oxygen" to the campaign for another Brexit referendum.

Speakers at the rally include Labour's deputy leader, Tom Watson, Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, former Tory turned independent MP Anna Soubry and former attorney general Dominic Grieve.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47678763
 
Brexit march: Hundreds of thousands join referendum protest

Hundreds of thousands are marching through central London calling for another EU referendum, as MPs search for a way out of the Brexit impasse.

Organisers of the "Put It To The People" campaign say more than a million people have joined the march before rallying in front of Parliament.

It comes after the EU agreed to delay the UK's departure from the EU.

PM Theresa May is coming under pressure to quit after saying she might not put her Brexit deal to a third vote by MPs.

She wrote to all MPs on Friday saying she will ditch plans to put the deal to another so-called meaningful vote if not enough MPs support it.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47678763
 
One million marchers. As many as the Don’t Attack Iraq march of 2003.
 
Theresa May could gain support for her Brexit deal if she promises to stand down as PM, senior Conservatives have told the BBC.

MPs in the party have said they might reluctantly back the agreement if they know she will not be in charge of the next stage of negotiations with the EU.

It comes as newspaper reports claim cabinet ministers are plotting a coup against her.

No 10 has dismissed reports that Mrs May could be persuaded to stand aside.

The prime minister has come under growing pressure to quit following a week in which she was forced to ask the EU for an extension to Article 50, and criticised for blaming the delay to Brexit on MPs.

It remains unclear whether she will bring her withdrawal agreement back to the Commons for a third vote next week, after she wrote to MPs saying she would only do so if there was "sufficient support" for it.

According to reports in some of the Sunday papers, cabinet ministers are planning to oust Mrs May as prime minister and replace her with a "caretaker leader" until a proper leadership contest is held later in the year.

But there were differing accounts of who the preferred candidate is, with the Brexiteer and Remain wings of the party said to favour different interim leaders.

The Sunday Times reported that Mrs May's defacto deputy, David Lidington, who voted Remain, was being lined up to replace her, while the Mail on Sunday said the Brexiteer Environment Secretary Michael Gove was the "consensus choice".

But one senior backbencher told the BBC's Iain Watson that even standing aside would not be enough for her deal to be voted through - having twice been defeated by large margins - and that Mrs May might as well "dig in".

No 10 dismissed suggestions that Mrs May could be persuaded to stand aside, or that she would agree a "job share" arrangement where senior ministers would be given extra responsibilities.

The BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg said there was "serious manoeuvring" going on.

It comes ahead of a week where the PM is expected to lose further control over the Brexit process.

A cross-party group of MPs will press for alternatives to her deal to be debated on Wednesday - something government sources expect to happen.

In the coming days, as many as six other options, in addition to Mrs May's deal, could be voted on, in order to see which are most popular. They are:

'Put It To The People'

Media captionMarchers called for a "proper vote" and said they'd been "sold down the river"
On Saturday hundreds of thousands of people marched in central London to call for another EU referendum.

Protesters carrying EU flags and placards called for any Brexit deal be put to another public vote, with speakers including Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Organisers said the initial count showed more than a million people had turned up - putting it on a par with the biggest march of the century, the Stop the War march in 2003.

Meanwhile, the woman behind a record-breaking anti-Brexit petition, retired lecturer Margaret Georgiadou, said she had received death threats over the poll.

Next steps
Earlier in the week, European leaders agreed to delay the UK's departure from the EU until at least 12 April, from 29 March.

If Mrs May's deal is approved by MPs next week, the EU has agreed to extend the Brexit deadline until 22 May.

If it is not - and no alternative plan is put forward - the UK is set to leave the EU on 12 April.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47683059
 
Technics 1210 said:
Includes fake votes.

https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-is-the-stop-brexit-petition-reliable

Plus 4.1 million vs 17.4 Million? Still a long way to go!
Click to expand...

Did you read the piece you posted?

It has been suggested today that it’s possible to sign more than once using different names and the same email address, but FactCheck has not been able to replicate that result – we get an error message telling us we have already signed.
Click to expand...

Of course, it would be suspicious if very large numbers of people in places with small populations – say British Antarctic Territory – were signing up.

But they aren’t. The obscure island territories are showing handfuls of signatures, and the countries with the most are ones with large British expat populations like France, Spain, Germany and the US.

How many of the signatures were made by computers overseas? Only 3.8 per cent, according to the latest data on the petitions site (the numbers are being updated all the time, so you may get a different result if you run the calculation yourself after reading this).

So at the moment, it doesn’t look like enough signatures are coming from overseas to skew the results significantly.
Click to expand...

Our understanding, based on conversations with cybersecurity professionals, is that this would be fairly easy to spot if it was being done with thousands of signatures at a time.

Many signatures coming from a device with the same IP address – or made at exactly the same time – would raise red flags.

When hackers used software to automatically add large numbers of multiple signatures to an earlier Brexit-related petition in 2016, the site administrators went back and looked for patterns of suspicious behaviour, then removed tens of thousands of dodgy signatures.
Click to expand...

In the absence of more detail from the people who run the petitions website, it’s hard to say exactly how resistant the system is to fraud.

When hackers used bots to add bogus signatures to another Brexit petition in 2016, they boasted about it on the 4Chan message board.

We can’t find evidence of people bragging on that site a about large-scale security breaches this time around. And the House of Commons says it has stepped up security since then.
There is a question mark around overseas signatures, but these are not happening in large numbers.
Click to expand...


There is no evidence to suggest that there have been enough fake votes to register as being worthy of attention.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Great stat, but did the government listen to the people during/after the March against the war in Iraq? No.
Click to expand...

I thought about that. Tony Blair was in his pomp with a big majority and felt untouchable. The Govt now is hung, both main parties are split and and no deal (or No Deal) can command a Commons majority.

Looks like May will be gone shortly and some other PM will try to forge a consensus. Revoking A50 is too risky for the Tories because they might split and a Trump figure appear. I fear there will be no consensus and they will not inflict the ruin of No Deal on us, so they must go back to the people as the only other way out of the trap.
 
Brexit: Ministers tipped to replace Theresa May rally round

Two ministers touted as a potential caretaker PM in reports of a cabinet coup say they fully back Theresa May.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove told reporters it was "not the time to change the captain of the ship".

And the PM's de facto deputy David Lidington insisted he was "100% behind" Mrs May.

Meanwhile, the Brexit secretary said an election will become more likely if MPs vote this week for a Brexit option the government does not want.

MPs are expected to get the chance to hold a series of so-called indicative votes on possible alternatives to Mrs May's withdrawal deal, but Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said they would "not be binding".

It comes as Mrs May holds talks with colleagues and senior Brexiteers, including Boris Johnson, at Chequers, her country retreat.

'Serious manoeuvring'
Newspapers claim cabinet ministers are plotting a coup against the prime minister, aiming to replace her with a caretaker leader until a proper leadership contest is held later in the year.

The suggestion is that Tory MPs might reluctantly back Mrs May's Brexit deal if they know she will not be in charge of the next stage of negotiations with the EU, but there are differing accounts of who the preferred candidate to replace her is.

The Sunday Times reports that Mr Lidington, who voted Remain, is being lined up, while the Mail on Sunday said the Brexiteer Environment Secretary Mr Gove was the "consensus choice".

The BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg says there is "serious manoeuvring" going on.

The prime minister has come under growing pressure to quit following a week in which she was forced to ask the EU for an extension to Article 50, and criticised for blaming the delay to Brexit on MPs.

The withdrawal deal she has negotiated with the EU has been overwhelmingly rejected in the Commons twice, and it remains unclear whether she will bring it back a third time next week after she wrote to MPs saying she would only do so if there was "sufficient support".

One senior backbencher told the BBC's Iain Watson that even standing aside would not be enough for her deal to be voted through, and that Mrs May might as well "dig in".

Mr Gove said he was focused on getting the maximum amount of support for the prime minister and her Brexit deal.

And Mr Lidington insisted Mrs May was "doing a fantastic job" and he had no desire to take over from her.

Chancellor Philip Hammond told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday "changing prime ministers wouldn't help, changing the party of government wouldn't help."

He denied reports he was hoping to parachute in Mr Lidington as caretaker, adding: "To be talking about changing the players on the board, frankly, is self indulgent at this time."

Mr Hammond said he understood MPs were "very frustrated", but "one way or another Parliament is going to have an opportunity this week to decide what it's in favour of".

Former Conservative leader and prominent Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith told the BBC's Andrew Marr the disloyalty some cabinet ministers were showing to her was "appalling".

They should be censured, sacked, or at the very least "they should be apologising and they should shut up," he added.

Lidington v Gove
MP for Aylesbury since 1992 and now Cabinet Office Minister, David Lidington, below left, is the prime minister's right-hand man and behind-the-scenes fixer.

Once private secretary to William Hague when he was Tory leader, Mr Lidington was the longest-serving Minister for Europe under David Cameron and is clearly from the Remain camp. That makes him an unacceptable replacement for Theresa May in the eyes of Brexiteers.

Lidington is well-liked among fellow MPs and has an easy way with journalists, but he has attracted criticism from some quarters for his voting record, especially on LGBTQ rights. He voted against same sex marriage and to maintain a ban on the promotion of homosexuality in schools.

Former journalist turned MP for Surrey Heath, Michael Gove, above right, is currently environment secretary. He's previously held the justice and education briefs.

He and Boris Johnson helped lead Vote Leave to victory in the EU referendum, but Gove later ran against his former Brexit ally for the Tory leadership. He was subsequently sacked as a minister by Theresa May when she eventually won that contest.

Now having worked his way back into the senior echelons of government, Mr Gove is seen as someone who could hold the Conservative Party together, and might be a candidate Remainers could stomach because he's hinted he could be open to a softer form of Brexit. Arch Brexiteers feel, though, that for that very reason he'd be an unacceptable choice.

Media captionIain Duncan Smith calls ministerial disloyalty "appalling"
The leadership row comes ahead of a week where the PM is expected to lose further control over the Brexit process.

In the coming days, as many as six other options, in addition to Mrs May's deal, could be put to indicative votes in order to see which are most popular. They are:

Mr Hammond said he would remove revoking Article 50 and a no-deal Brexit from the list, as "both of those would have very serious and negative consequences for our country".

On the subject of a second referendum, he said: "It is a coherent proposition and deserves to be considered, along with the other proposals."

But Mr Barclay said there was a "crisis" because "Parliament is trying to take over the government".

He said if MPs vote for a Brexit outcome at odds with the Tory manifesto - for example, in favour of maintaining single market membership - "the risk of a general election increases, because you potentially have a situation where Parliament is instructing the executive to do something that is counter to what it was elected to do".

Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said the indicative votes must be a "serious exercise".

He said Labour would go into the process "in good faith" but there needed to be "assurance that the prime minister isn't going to use it just to frustrate the process".

Labour chairman of the Brexit scrutiny committee Hilary Benn told Sky News MPs were just doing their job by attempting to take control of the process.

What's happening this week?

Monday: MPs will debate the Brexit next steps and a number of amendments - possible alternatives - to the government plan will be put to a vote. One that could well succeed calls for a series of "indicative votes" in the Commons, run by Parliament, to see if a majority can be found for a different Brexit model.

Tuesday: Theresa May could bring her withdrawal deal back for the so-called third meaningful vote. But the government says it won't do that unless it's sure it has enough to support to win.

Wednesday: This is when indicative votes would be held - we don't know yet whether MPs will be free to vote how they want or be directed along party lines. The chances of any genuine cross-party consensus being achieved are not high.

Thursday: A second possible opportunity for meaningful vote three. The prime minister may hope that Brexiteers will finally decide to throw their weight behind her deal because indicative votes have shown that otherwise the UK could be heading for the sort of softer Brexit they would hate.

Friday: This was the day the UK was meant to leave the EU. The earliest that will now happen is 12 April.


https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47683059
 
Brexit: PM under pressure over Commons Brexit votes

Theresa May is due to make a statement on Brexit to MPs later, which will be followed by a debate on next steps.

MPs are then expected to vote on a series of alternatives to the prime minister's Brexit deal.

Ministers were feeling "more positive" about being able to hold a third vote on the PM's deal this week, sources told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg.

But Northern Ireland's DUP has said its position has not changed and it will not be backing the deal.

DUP leader Arlene Foster told the prime minister the news in a telephone call after this morning's cabinet meeting.

Mrs May's EU withdrawal agreement has been overwhelmingly rejected in the Commons twice.

She has said she would only bring her deal back for a third Commons vote if there was "sufficient support" for it - and she spent the weekend trying to persuade Brexiteer Tories to get behind it.

But many are thought likely to take their lead from the DUP, which has led objections to the Irish backstop clause.

Meanwhile, the EU has said all its preparation for an "increasingly likely" no-deal scenario on 12 April has been completed.

Later, MPs are expected to back a plan to carve out parliamentary time for a series of so-called indicative votes on alternatives to Mrs May's deal.

As many as six other options, in addition to Mrs May's deal, could be put to votes to see which are most popular.

Conservative MP Sir Oliver Letwin told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that once Mrs May knew what it would take to get a majority vote, it would help her find "a way forward in principle".

But International Trade Secretary Liam Fox told the BBC that Parliament may want to look at a series of Brexit options, but they cannot be binding on the government.

"I'm answerable to my voters not to the House of Commons," he said.

He told the Today programme there had to be an agreed deal by 11 April, otherwise the UK will have to take part in EU elections, which "would unleash a torrent of pent up frustration from voters".

The indicative votes are a process for MPs to indicate which version of Brexit they might like if they don't fancy the prime minister's deal.

But there's a clash in government over whether or not they should go into this process at all.

Parliament is going to do this anyway and the government has given a commitment for MPs to be able to have their say on a series of different ideas.

To be clear, it would not bind the government - even if there is one option that gets a clear preference from Parliament.

It would still have to get through the cabinet and it would still have to be workable for the Tory party.

That could then mean if Parliament puts down a marker to have a softer Brexit, Theresa May is stuck with the same problem she's had all along: if she moves to something softer she might implode the Tory party.

Quite openly now, people in government are talking about something more dramatic as a way out.

Cryptically they call that a "democratic event". What would we call that? An election.

Accusing Mrs May of "bottling" Brexit, the former foreign secretary said the only argument for backing what he called her "rotten deal" was if every other option was worse.

Meanwhile, Foreign Office Minister Mark Field said he would support revoking Article 50 - the two year process for leaving the EU - if it became an option in the event Mrs May's deal was defeated and free votes granted for indicative votes.

Labour MP Wes Streeting said he believed there to be a "genuine desire" to find a way through the deadlock "but the prime minister has to set Parliament free".

And Labour MP Peter Kyle said "what the country really wants" is for "grown ups to get a grip on this and show a creative and a solid way out of the madness".

The European Commission said it had completed its no-deal preparations, which it said would cause "significant disruption for citizens and businesses" and "significant delays" at borders.

"In such a scenario, the UK's relations with the EU would be governed by general international public law, including rules of the World Trade Organisation," a statement said.

What's happening this week?
Monday: MPs will debate the Brexit next steps and a number of amendments - possible alternatives - to the government plan will be put to a vote. The most important of these is the indicative votes plan.

Tuesday: Theresa May could bring her withdrawal deal back for the so-called third meaningful vote. But the government says it won't do that unless it's sure it has enough support to win.

Wednesday: This is when indicative votes would be held - we don't know yet whether MPs will be free to vote how they want or be directed along party lines. The chances of any genuine cross-party consensus being achieved are not high.

Thursday: A second possible opportunity for meaningful vote three. The prime minister may hope that Brexiteers will finally decide to throw their weight behind her deal because indicative votes have shown that otherwise the UK could be heading for the sort of softer Brexit they would hate.

Friday: This is still written into law as the day the UK leaves the EU, but the PM has said she will try to change that this week. If she succeeds, the earliest Brexit will happen is 12 April.

As senior figures dismissed talk of a "coup", Mrs May summoned leading opponents of her deal to Chequers, her country retreat, to assess whether there was enough support for it to bring it back to the Commons this week.

But after lengthy talks with prominent Brexiteers - including Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Iain Duncan Smith - there was little sign of an immediate breakthrough.

In normal times, the government runs the country and Parliament - comprising all the MPs and Lords who are not members of the government - is there to monitor and scrutinise the way they are running things.

The government cannot make new laws or raise taxes without Parliament's agreement. And Parliament can challenge or block many of the decisions made by government ministers.

But ultimately it is the elected government that calls the shots - partly because it controls what gets debated in the Commons.

A group of MPs is now bidding to take over the Commons timetable on one day this week, so it can hold votes on alternatives to the government's Brexit plans.

The government does not have to abide by the outcome of these votes, but it is trying to work with the MPs to avoid a showdown that could further undermine its already weakened authority.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47689415
 
Last edited:
An utter failure of leadership by both main party leaders.

May has alienated the Commons and cannot even control her own Cabinet who are openly defying her.

Tom Watson is defying Corbyn, telling May that Labour MPs will back her deal IF she puts if back to the people by Referendum. He is de facto leader of the PLP now.

Never in all my years have I seen such chaos. Both main parties are a shambles.
 
Brexit: Not enough support for Brexit deal vote yet, says PM

Theresa May says she does not have enough support to win a vote on her EU withdrawal deal "as things stand".

She said she would continue trying to get MPs to back it before putting it to the Commons for a third time this week.

The PM will also order Tory MPs to vote against a bid by a group of MPs, headed by Tory Sir Oliver Letwin, to hold votes on alternatives to her plan.

The government would give MPs time to hold such votes, but Mrs May said she was "sceptical" about the process.

And she said the government would not commit to delivering the outcome of the votes but would "engage constructively" with MPs.

Brexit amendments: What are MPs voting on?

"The votes could lead to an outcome that is un-negotiable with the EU," she told MPs.

"No government could give a blank cheque to commit to an outcome without knowing what it is," she told MPs.

DUP leader Arlene Foster told the prime minister her party had not changed its position and would not be backing the deal, in a telephone call after this morning's cabinet meeting.

The prime minister said the "default outcome" remained leaving the EU without a deal.

"The alternative is to pursue a different form of Brexit or a second referendum," she said.

"But the bottom line remains: if the House does not approve the withdrawal agreement this week and is not prepared to countenance leaving without a deal, we would have to seek a longer extension."

That would mean holding European elections, she added, and would mean "we will not have been able to guarantee Brexit".

She also confirmed that the government will seek to change the UK's 29 March departure date through a piece of secondary legislation, which will make 11pm on 12 April the earliest Brexit date.

But she warned MPs that even if they rejected the change, it would still happen because it was contained in a piece of international law.

Confirming that the government will oppose Sir Oliver Letwin's amendment calling for indicative votes, Mrs May said it would set an "unwelcome precedent which would overturn the balance of our democratic institutions".

She said the government would provide time for MPs to debate alternatives but added: "When we have tried this kind of thing in the past, it has produced contradictory outcomes or no outcome at all."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn confirmed that his party will back Sir Oliver Letwin's attempt to secure "indicative votes" on Brexit, telling MPs: "It is time for Parliament to take control."

She has said she would only bring it back for a third Commons vote if there was "sufficient support" for it - and she spent the weekend trying to persuade Brexiteer Tories to get behind it.

But many are thought likely to take their lead from the DUP, which has led objections to the Irish backstop clause.

Meanwhile, the EU has said all its preparation for an "increasingly likely" no-deal scenario on 12 April has been completed.

Jeremy Corbyn met the prime minister for over an hour earlier, and had what Labour described as a "frank and comprehensive exchange of views" on Brexit.

Mr Corbyn told the PM there was no basis for holding a third vote on her deal.

Last week Mrs May was forced to ask the EU for an extension to Article 50 and hundreds of thousands of people marched in central London calling for another EU referendum.

What's happening this week?

Monday: MPs will debate the Brexit next steps and a number of amendments - possible alternatives - to the government plan will be put to a vote. The most important of these is the indicative votes plan.

Wednesday: This is when indicative votes would be held - we don't know yet whether MPs will be free to vote how they want or be directed along party lines. The chances of any genuine cross-party consensus being achieved are not high.

Thursday: A possible opportunity for meaningful vote three. The prime minister may hope that Brexiteers will finally decide to throw their weight behind her deal because indicative votes have shown that otherwise the UK could be heading for the sort of softer Brexit they would hate.

Friday: This is still written into law as the day the UK leaves the EU, but the PM is attempting to change that through a piece of secondary legislation. If she succeeds, the earliest Brexit will happen is 11pm on 12 April.

The indicative votes are a process for MPs to indicate which version of Brexit they might like if they don't fancy the prime minister's deal.

But there's a clash in government over whether or not they should go into this process at all.

Parliament is going to do this anyway and the government has given a commitment for MPs to be able to have their say on a series of different ideas.

To be clear, it would not bind the government - even if there is one option that gets a clear preference from Parliament.

It would still have to get through the cabinet and it would still have to be workable for the Tory party.

That could then mean if Parliament puts down a marker to have a softer Brexit, Theresa May is stuck with the same problem she's had all along: if she moves to something softer she might implode the Tory party.

Quite openly now, people in government are talking about something more dramatic as a way out.

Cryptically they call that a "democratic event". What would we call that? An election.

Government vs Parliament

In normal times, the government runs the country and Parliament - comprising all the MPs and Lords who are not members of the government - is there to monitor and scrutinise the way they are running things.

The government cannot make new laws or raise taxes without Parliament's agreement. And Parliament can challenge or block many of the decisions made by government ministers.

But ultimately it is the elected government that calls the shots - partly because it controls what gets debated in the Commons.

A group of MPs is now bidding to take over the Commons timetable on one day this week, so it can hold votes on alternatives to the government's Brexit plans.

The government does not have to abide by the outcome of these votes, but it is trying to work with the MPs to avoid a showdown that could further undermine its already weakened authority.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47689415
 
Robert said:
That's dated 27 June 2016.
Click to expand...

You'll have to forgive him, he's clearly not the brightest bulb.

Technics 1210 said:
My bad, this is the link :

https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-is-the-stop-brexit-petition-reliable

Still, why should a petition with near 5 Million votes be taken seriously, when the largest exercise in British democracy is ignored with 17.4 Million votes?
Click to expand...

And this is literally the same piece which I quoted extensively from, so well done on proving that you still didn't read what you purport to be proof?

Also exactly what form of Brexit was it those 17.4m people voted for again?
 
Last edited:
Big Mac said:
You'll have to forgive him, he's clearly not the brightest bulb.



And this is literally the same piece which I quoted extensively from, so well done on proving that you still didn't read what you purport to be proof?

Also exactly what form of Brexit was it those 17.4m people voted for again?
Click to expand...

Clearly you have the hump cos Remain lost. Just look at the irony, weeping over 4M votes on a petition but will ignore 17.4M votes.

As for what sort of Brexit, which part of LEAVE THE EU did you not understand on the ballot paper? I will make it simple : No Deal.

This talk of a leave deal is all down to Remainers. Nothing more, nothing less.

I also suggest you read the article properly. Petitions can be voted by anyone from any country. Just Google to see how non UK residents have voted to revoke A50.

Now save your James O'Brien nonsense for someone who cares.
 
T
Technics 1210 said:
My bad, this is the link :

https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-is-the-stop-brexit-petition-reliable

Still, why should a petition with near 5 Million votes be taken seriously, when the largest exercise in British democracy is ignored with 17.4 Million votes?
Click to expand...

The petition might worry a few MPs in marginal seats into voting for another referendum.

The largest exercise isn’t being ignored, Brexit will go ahead unless another referendum stops it. They won’t dare rescind A50 otherwise - the Tories will split, a new Mosely figure will emerge to lead the far right and then the BAME people will be under real threat.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Clearly you have the hump cos Remain lost. Just look at the irony, weeping over 4M votes on a petition but will ignore 17.4M votes.

As for what sort of Brexit, which part of LEAVE THE EU did you not understand on the ballot paper? I will make it simple : No Deal.

This talk of a leave deal is all down to Remainers. Nothing more, nothing less.

I also suggest you read the article properly. Petitions can be voted by anyone from any country. Just Google to see how non UK residents have voted to revoke A50.

Now save your James O'Brien nonsense for someone who cares.
Click to expand...

In the days after the Referendum I heard a lot of Leavers talking about “getting a good deal”. Liam Fox said it would be the easiest deal ever.

Only more recently has the talk hardened into No Deal. Leavers think our failure to get a ‘good deal’ is the fault of EU27 intransigence, when really it’s due to May’s silly red lines and losing her majority. Barnier offered us a sweet free trade deal (Canada +++) but May rejected it. So Leavers are cross and talking about No Deal out of misplaced spite.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Clearly you have the hump cos Remain lost. Just look at the irony, weeping over 4M votes on a petition but will ignore 17.4M votes.

As for what sort of Brexit, which part of LEAVE THE EU did you not understand on the ballot paper? I will make it simple : No Deal.

This talk of a leave deal is all down to Remainers. Nothing more, nothing less.

I also suggest you read the article properly. Petitions can be voted by anyone from any country. Just Google to see how non UK residents have voted to revoke A50.

Now save your James O'Brien nonsense for someone who cares.
Click to expand...

A) British citizens living abroad are allowed to sign the petition and the numbers of signatures from outside the UK are not significant enough to suggest any foul play. Once again, I already copy and pasted that bit.

B) If non-UK residents voting invalidates this petition automatically, then why don't you feel the same way about the Brexit Referendum which also had votes from non-UK residents? (No need to answer, we already know why)

C) So all 17.4m voted for No Deal? Not one of them voted for a soft Brexit, Common Market 2.0, Norway style deal, or just as a protest vote to stick it to the government that has ruined and taken lives with their austerity measures?

Sure thing mate.
 
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Big Mac said:
A) British citizens living abroad are allowed to sign the petition and the numbers of signatures from outside the UK are not significant enough to suggest any foul play. Once again, I already copy and pasted that bit.

B) If non-UK residents voting invalidates this petition automatically, then why don't you feel the same way about the Brexit Referendum which also had votes from non-UK residents? (No need to answer, we already know why)

C) So all 17.4m voted for No Deal? Not one of them voted for a soft Brexit, Common Market 2.0, Norway style deal, or just as a protest vote to stick it to the government that has ruined and taken lives with their austerity measures?

Sure thing mate.
Click to expand...

So the fact remains you are willing to defend 4 Million or so votes and ignore the 17.4 Millions who voted to Leave. What a disgrace you are to democracy. Not only this you concede a percentage of votes in favour of the petition were outside of the UK. I rest my case.

The rest of your hymn is empty rhetoric lifted from 97.3FM LBC. No Substance.
 
Parliament has just voted through Letwin's plan to allow Parliament to take control of the agenda from the government by 329-302. (Some ministers resigned in order to vote against the government) Indicative votes to be held on Wednesday I believe, although naturally Maybot won't say if she will pay any attention to the results of those votes.

Amendment being voted on now to allow Parliament to reject no-deal in favour of an extension, though I'm not sure this one will make any real difference tbh.

Technics 1210 said:
So the fact remains you are willing to defend 4 Million or so votes and ignore the 17.4 Millions who voted to Leave. What a disgrace you are to democracy. Not only this you concede a percentage of votes in favour of the petition were outside of the UK. I rest my case.

The rest of your hymn is empty rhetoric lifted from 97.3FM LBC. No Substance.
Click to expand...

A) Yes, because people that voted to remain and are demanding that Article 50 be revoked know exactly what they are voting for.

B) Again, you haven't answered whether all 17.4m voters voted for No Deal Brexit and not any of the other myriad options that they were promised during the referendum campaign.

C) The referendum had votes from outside the UK, does that mean you refuse to accept those results as being valid? :13:

No Substance.
Click to expand...

iu
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Oh Lord - John Bercow loves the drama as he tells Greg Hands he wasn’t a very good whip.<br><br>MPs shout for him to withdraw. <a href="https://t.co/hTIjhPEZHM">pic.twitter.com/hTIjhPEZHM</a></p>— Charlie Proctor (@MonarchyUK) <a href="https://twitter.com/MonarchyUK/status/1110314664167129089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

What a top lad :))
 
Brexit: MPs vote to take control of Brexit process for indicative votes

MPs have voted to take control of Commons business in an unprecedented move to try to find a majority for any Brexit option.

The government was defeated by 329 votes to 302 on the cross-party amendment, a majority of 27.

It means MPs will get a series of votes on Wednesday to find out what kind of Brexit they will support.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said there is no guarantee she will abide by their decision.

But Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had backed the amendment tabled by Conservative Sir Oliver Letwin, said the government "must take the process seriously".

He added: "The government has failed and this House must, and I believe will, succeed."

He said MPs would want to find a consensus on the way forward, including a possible "confirmatory vote" on the PM's deal by the public - something Mrs May told MPs earlier she did not want because Remain would be on the ballot paper.

Mrs May had earlier tried to head off a defeat by offering MPs a series of votes on Brexit alternatives, organised by the government.

She said allowing MPs to take over the Commons agenda would have set an "unwelcome precedent".

But supporters of Sir Oliver Letwin's amendment said they did not trust the government to give MPs a say on the full range of Brexit options.

Thirty Tory MPs voted against the government, including three ministers - Richard Harrington, Alistair Burt and Steve Brine - who have now resigned from their ministerial posts.

Following the vote, Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: "Another humiliating defeat for a prime minister who has lost complete control of her party, her Cabinet and of the Brexit process.

"Parliament has fought back - and now has the chance to decide what happens next."

MPs involved in the bid tonight say if there is a majority for a plan that's not the prime minister's deal then there would be "uproar" if Theresa May tried to ignore it.

It is possible, of course, that Brexiteers who have been resisting the prime minister's deal so far take fright at Parliament having more control of the process, and are more likely to come in line.

That's because, generally, the make-up of MPs are more likely to back a softer deal than the one on offer.

So faced with the choice of Theresa May's compromise this week, or a much longer wrangle to a closer relationship with the EU than the prime minister has negotiated, it is not impossible that the numbers will move in her favour.

In the series of so-called indicative votes, MPs will be able to vote on a series of options - likely to include a "softer Brexit", a customs union with the EU and another referendum - designed to test the will of Parliament to see what, if anything, commands a majority.

But the precise format of the votes and how they will work was not set out in the amendment.

And the prime minister said she was "sceptical" about the process - as it was not guaranteed to produce a majority for any one course of action - and she would not commit the government to abiding by the result.

"The votes could lead to an outcome that is un-negotiable with the EU," she told MPs.

The Department for Exiting the EU said Monday night's vote set a "dangerous, unpredictable precedent" for the future.

"It is disappointing to see this amendment pass, as the government made a clear commitment to provide a process to find a majority in Parliament for a way forward this week," a spokesman said.

"While it is now up to Parliament to set out next steps in respect of this amendment, the government will continue to call for realism - any options considered must be deliverable in negotiations with the EU.

"Parliament should take account of how long these negotiations would take and if they'd require a longer extension which would mean holding European Parliamentary elections."

The government narrowly defeated a bid by Labour's Dame Margaret Beckett to give MPs a vote on asking for another Brexit extension if a deal has not been approved by 5 April. Dame Margaret's amendment was voted down by 314 to 311, a majority of three.

The government was defeated on its main motion, as amended by Sir Oliver Letwin, by 327 votes to 300, a majority of 27.

Mrs May said earlier that her EU withdrawal deal did not have enough support to get through the Commons "as things stand", but she still hoped to persuade enough MPs to back it so she could hold another vote on it this week.

The deal has already been rejected twice by a large margin - and the PM was forced to ask the EU for Brexit to be delayed.

She plans to pass a law this week cancelling 29 March's exit date, and pushing Brexit back to at least 12 April.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47701591
 
So, MPs have ceased control of the Brexit process, which the Government is not obliged to honour as per the constitution. Pure Lulz!

If the EU referendum was a general election, then Leave would have won by a landslide victory! 406 Constituencies voted Leave!

To make matters even more comical, here is what the Irish PM had to say in reference to the *Hard Border*

LEO COMES CLEAN ON IRISH BORDER

Without the issue of the Irish backstop, it is reasonably safe to assume the UK would be leaving the EU on Friday with a withdrawal agreement. The government would not be falling apart and businesses and investors would know where they were. But of course, as we have been told constantly by the EU, the backstop is essential. It is absolutely the only way of ensuring, post-Brexit, that the Irish border remains open.

What, then, if the whole thing was a hoax – if Britain and Ireland are capable of agreeing between themselves on a customs arrangement which eliminate the need for customs formalities? That is exactly what it appears may be about to happen, if we are to believe Irish PM Leo Varadkar. According to a Bloomberg report talks between the two governments have already begun, aimed at keeping the border open even in the event of a no deal. Whatever checks were needed could be carried out away from the border.

What does that tell us? That the Irish border issue was exaggerated all along. There never was a problem which could not be resolved by the UK and Ireland between themselves. That the EU decided to make such an issue of the backstop has rather more to do with the desire of Michel Barnier and Jean-Claude Juncker to keep the UK trapped in the customs union, to neutralise the threat that a United Kingdom free of the customs union and single market could deregulate and open its economy to the rest of the world and suck trade and investment away from the EU.

That the EU’s insistence on the backstop was motivated by something other than practicalities was already obvious from the fact that it already operates a perfectly well-functioning border with Switzerland. Income tax, VAT and corporation taxes are collected without officials standing over businesses and individuals at the point of transaction. You don’t have an HMRC official standing next to you at the till at Marks and Spencer to check that VAT is paid. So why should tariffs post-Brexit need to be enforced at the border rather than through declarations and audits? In any case, if the EU had spent the past couple of years negotiating a free trade deal rather than fussing over the Irish border there might have been no tariffs to collect.

Now Varadkar has all but admitted that the backstop was a scam, why is the EU continuing to insist that it forms part of the withdrawal agreement? Moreover, why isn’t our own government willing to make this point? It is, sadly, indicative of Theresa May’s failures that she never tried harder to get rid of the backstop – without which her deal could have passed.
Click to expand...

In essence, the backstop was a scam!

Bring on the revolution! :)
 
The options for Brexit "are narrowing", Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said, after MPs voted to seize control of the parliamentary timetable.

The PM was dealt a fresh blow as the government was defeated by 27 votes on Monday, on a plan designed to find out the kind of deal MPs would support.

Thirty Conservative MPs rebelled, including three ministers.

Mr Hancock said the government would listen to MPs but "can't pre-commit to following whatever they vote for".

He told Radio 4's Today programme that the Commons had rejected no deal and a second referendum, and urged MPs to back the PM's Brexit deal.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the Eurosceptic group of Tory MPs the European Research Group (ERG), is among the group of pro-Brexit MPs who the prime minister has been trying to persuade to back her deal.

On his ConservativeHome podcast, he said: "I have always thought that no deal is better than Mrs May's deal, but Mrs May's deal is better than not leaving at all."

Ministerial resignations
On Monday night, MPs voted in favour of Conservative backbencher Sir Oliver Letwin's cross-party amendment, which will allow MPs to put forward motions relating to Brexit - most likely a series of so-called indicative votes.

Because of this, MPs will be able to vote on a number of options on Wednesday - likely to include a "softer Brexit", a customs union with the EU and another referendum - designed to test the will of Parliament to see what, if anything, commands a majority.

Richard Harrington, Alistair Burt and Steve Brine resigned to join the rebels, with Mr Harrington accusing the government of "playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods" of Britons.

The prime minister said she was "sceptical" about the process - as it was not guaranteed to produce a majority for any one course of action - and she would not commit the government to abiding by the result.

"The votes could lead to an outcome that is un-negotiable with the EU," she told MPs.

Mr Hancock told Today: "In the previous votes there have been a multitude of potential different options - the sorts of options, like a second referendum, which I think would be a bad idea, that's been rejected.

"The idea of having a no deal…the Commons is absolutely clear it won't allow and will legislate against it if necessary. That means that the options are narrowing."

What is the voting process?
Commons Speaker John Bercow said Sir Oliver Letwin will table a business motion at 16:00 GMT and MPs will have until the end of Tuesday to put forward matters for consideration under indicative votes.

The exact method of indicative voting will be debated on Wednesday, Mr Bercow said.

When asked if the prime minister will abide by the indicative votes, Mr Hancock said it was important for the government to listen to MPs.

"But we can't pre-commit to following whatever they vote for, because they might vote for something that is completely impractical," he said.

But Labour's Hilary Benn said MPs have to take responsibility for the Brexit process.

Mr Benn, chairman of the Commons Exiting the European Union Committee, told the Today programme: "If the government isn't going to do its job then Parliament is going to have to take responsibility, and that is what we are doing on Wednesday."

The DUP's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson reiterated that the party's 10 MPs - who prop up Mrs May's government - will not support the prime minister's Brexit deal unless there are "significant changes to the agreement".

European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said he was "very pleased" the Letwin amendment had been voted for "because that means it is possible now to work towards a cross-party proposal".

But the BBC's Europe editor Katya Adler said the EU only fears more uncertainty ahead, knowing full well that even if a clearer picture emerges of what MPs will accept, the UK government, led by Theresa May, remains its only negotiating partner or "interlocutor".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47704451
 
Technics 1210 said:
As for what sort of Brexit, which part of LEAVE THE EU did you not understand on the ballot paper? I will make it simple : No Deal
Click to expand...

False. Funny how the definitions of a "true Brexit" keep shifting amongst Brexiteers. Before the referendum, leading Brexiteers like Daniel Hannan, Arron Banks and Nigel Farage were calling for an EEA style Brexit.

Hannan:
Absolutely nobody is talking about threatening our place in the Single Market
Click to expand...

Arron Banks:
Increasingly, the Norway option looks the best for the UK
Click to expand...

Boris Johnson:
"Personally, I would like to stay in the single market," he said during a visit to Paris.
Click to expand...

So why are some hard Brexiteers backing no deal ? For the Tories, this is a play by the likes of Johnson and Rees Mogg for a future leadership bid once May quits. For Farage, the longer he keeps the Brexit battlecry alive, his personal brand remains alive and his TV bookings continue.

There's no majority in the country or parliament for a disasterous and disruptive no deal.
 
Markhor said:
False. Funny how the definitions of a "true Brexit" keep shifting amongst Brexiteers. Before the referendum, leading Brexiteers like Daniel Hannan, Arron Banks and Nigel Farage were calling for an EEA style Brexit.

Hannan:

Arron Banks:

Boris Johnson:

So why are some hard Brexiteers backing no deal ? For the Tories, this is a play by the likes of Johnson and Rees Mogg for a future leadership bid once May quits. For Farage, the longer he keeps the Brexit battlecry alive, his personal brand remains alive and his TV bookings continue.

There's no majority in the country or parliament for a disasterous and disruptive no deal.
Click to expand...

Are the quotes you cite post referendum or pre referendum? If post, then blame remainers for trying to stall Brexit. Once again, the question was, what sort of leave deal did leavers vote for? They didn't vote for a deal; they voted to Leave.

The audacity to judge leave voters.

It was Cameron who clearly stated many times before the referendum, that leaving the EU meant No Customs Union, no Single Market etc.
 
[utube]zNnh-KhiLm0[/utube]

Clear as daylight. Voting leave meant leaving the Single Market. Cameron himself says, once we leave the EU, we will trade on WTO terms.
 
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