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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Sparrow (earlier) and Jedidajah Otte (later)

Brexit: MPs pass Cooper's Brexit delay bill with majority of one - as it happened

MPs surrounding John Bercow in the Speaker’s chair as he used his casting vote after a tie, the first time a Speaker had had to do that since 1993.
MPs surrounding John Bercow in the Speaker’s chair as he used his casting vote after a tie, the first time a Speaker had had to do that since 1993. Photograph: Emma Little-Pengelly/PA

Summary

I’m going to wrap up now.

Here the latest key developments at a glance:

  • A bill tabled by Labour MP Yvette Copper has been passed dramatically by a majority of one in the House of Commons. If approved by the Lords, it will enshrine in law that Theresa May has to ask EU leaders for a long extension if she fails to get her deal through parliament by April 12, which would rule out a no-deal Brexit - provided Brussels approves a longer extension of Article 50.
  • Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn met earlier to discuss a possible compromise on the withdrawal agreement. The meeting is said to have been “constructive” and further talks are planned.
  • Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry wrote a letter to the shadow cabinet ahead of an emergency meeting tonight, telling cabinet members that “not to insist” on a second referendum would constitute a “breach” of Labour’s commitments made at the party conference.
  • Jeremy Corbyn meanwhile has said that he had raised the “option” of a confirmatory referendum during his meeting with the PM, which some pundits have interpreted as a potential disagreement between the Labour leader and his frontbench.

That’s all from me, goodnight.

Updated

The Leave.EU campaign seems to be rather cross:

Irish premier Leo Varadkar will hold Brexit talks with German leader Angela Merkel in Dublin on Thursday, the Press Association reports.

The Taoiseach will host Ms Merkel at Farmleigh House in the capital where their discussions are set to focus on the latest developments ahead of the special European Council meeting next week.
Prior to their formal sit-down the leaders will take part in round-table discussions with people from Northern Ireland and the border area about their views on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
It comes as efforts intensify to find a way through the Brexit impasse.
[...]
On Tuesday Mr Varadkar held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
Ahead of Ms Merkel’s visit, an Irish government spokesman said the Chancellor had been a “strong and unwavering ally of Ireland” as the country responded to the challenges brought about by Brexit.
“Ahead of their formal meeting, the Taoiseach and Chancellor will participate in a round-table discussion with people from Northern Ireland and the border area, who will share their personal experience and perspectives on the impact any return to a hard border would have on border communities and businesses,” the spokesman said.
“These are people for whom the border is a very real issue - people from communities along the border, from business, and with direct personal experience of conflict before the Good Friday Agreement.
“It is important to hear their voices as we work together to deal with the challenges that Brexit presents. “
The spokesman said the meeting was also an opportunity for the leaders to consider other issues on the EU’s agenda and to reflect on how Ireland and Germany can strengthen “the already excellent relations” between the two countries.
Speaking in the Irish parliament on Wednesday, the Taoiseach said he hoped Mr Corbyn would show leadership and come up with a compromise plan with Mrs May.

Sky’s Faisal Islam says the Cooper bill is expected to have good chances to get approved by the Lords.

Labour and Co-op MP Gareth Thomas on the result:

This from The Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn:

This from Sky’s Beth Rigby on the passing of the Cooper bill, which, if passed in the House of Lords, will rule out a crashing out of the EU without a deal once and for all, provided the EU would grant May a longer extension if her deal does not pass by April 12.

Conservative MP Nicky Morgan has said on BBC Newsnight that there are “other more qualified candidates” to lead her party, should Theresa May step down as prime minister.

This also from the Press Association:

Speaking on the BBC’s Newsnight, Ms Morgan said Mrs May was the “best person” to lead discussions with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, but said “new national leadership” would be needed to handle future negotiations on the UK’s relationship with the EU.
Asked about her own leadership ambitions she said: “It is very nice to be suggested, I think that there are other more qualified candidates, but I look forward to playing a role in shaping those discussions.”

This from the Press Association on the wafer-thin majority in this last vote of today that just rocked the House of Commons:

Proposals to further delay the date of Brexit have moved closer to becoming law after they squeaked through the Commons by one vote.
MPs supported the European Union (Withdrawal) (No 5) Bill at third reading by 313 votes to 312.
The draft legislation tabled by Labour former minister Yvette Cooper requires Prime Minister Theresa May to table a motion seeking MPs’ approval for an extension to the Article 50 process beyond April 12 to a date of her choosing.
It is part of a parliamentary bid to prevent a no-deal departure from the EU.
Tory Brexiteers strongly opposed the measures and, shortly before the final vote, they expressed their frustration at the Bill clearing all stages in the Commons in a matter of hours.
Peter Bone (Wellingborough) urged Speaker John Bercow to “make this farce stop” and prevent further votes.
The Bill will undergo further scrutiny in the Lords at a later date, potentially as early as Thursday.

Updated

MPs pass Cooper bill by majority of one

The Cooper bill has passed its third reading with a majority of only one vote, 313:312

Another Peston moment:

Chancellor Philip Hammond told Peston that he hopes the cross-party talks with Labour would be able to discover whether there was a “landing zone” where both sides could meet on a deal, the Press Association reports.

“We are going to have further discussions tomorrow. I think both sides need to understand where each other are.
But I would hope we can get, very quickly, to an understanding of whether there is a cross-party deal to be done,” Hammond said.

Updated

Now amendment 1 – which would limit any extension to 22 May – has been defeated by a whopping 488 to 123.

The government has suffered another defeat and had its own amendment crushed by a majority of 180. Amendment 22 “ensured the bill does not limit the power of the Brexit secretary in seeking an article 50 extension”.

Updated

Until MPs will vote on the Cooper bill, they will be voting on a series of amendments. Final vote expected around midnight.

I just made an error: the vote hasn’t failed, an amendment by the former minister George Eustice was just defeated by 304 ayes to 313 noes.

The amendment would have prevented the government from being forced to hold a vote if the European Council proposes an extension date different than that requested by parliament.

Profuse apologies. The previous post has been deleted.

Updated

This just in from The Telegraph’s Anna Mikhailova:

MPs are now voting on the Cooper bill amendments.

Updated

MPs were debating the Cooper bill at Committee stage until just a few minutes ago. In the eyes of the government, the bill represents “a dangerous and perhaps unintended constitutional precedent” that would “constrain” the PM’s authority in negotiations. “This bill actually increases the likelihood of an accidental no-deal,” says Robin Walker, Exiting the EU minister.

The government has tabled an amendment to the Cooper bill aimed at allowing the PM to agree a new deadline with the EU if necessary.

Updated

This from the ITV’s Paul Brand:

Nick Boles MP, who resigned from the Tory whip yesterday, just tweeted this:

By the way, German magazine Der Spiegel published an interview with speaker John Bercow on Monday, in which he talks beheadings, Theresa May being “courteous” and his power in parliament.

A good, entertaining read.

Here an excerpt:

DER SPIEGEL: Would you agree that you are one of the most powerful people in Britain today?

Bercow: It’s amazingly generous of you to confer this sobriquet on me, but I’m not sure it is warranted. Of course, I do have a role, not grabbed by me, but conferred upon me, to select amendments for debate and to keep order. And yes, I won’t be disingenuous. It is true that, in this context, the role of the speaker is more center stage than it would be if we were purely conducting a debate about child support policy. We’re having a debate about a matter which has consumed the political world and dominated the media for the best part of three years. And in this current context, there is a particular significance attached to that. My approach is to try to facilitate perhaps by enabling the fullest and fairest expression of views and the range of views that exists.

Stewart McDonald MP has apologised for questioning the absence of John McDonnell and Emily Thornberry in the Commons earlier.

My colleague Jessica Elgot points out that situations like this could be avoided if it were to be made visible when absent MPs have paired with another MP to cast their vote that way.

Updated

While a no-deal Brexit remains in the cards, my colleague Richard Partington writes that Liam Fox’s international trade department is nowhere near Brexit-ready.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell just put out a tweet explaining his absence from the Commons tonight.

Updated

This just in from PoliticsHome’s Kevin Schofield:

Meanwhile at Tory HQ, according to Sky’s Beth Rigby:

Jeremy Corbyn has urged the PM to ditch her “dead” deal and move in Labour’s direction, the Press Association reports:

Theresa May has to accept that her Brexit deal is dead and she needs to move in Labour’s direction, Jeremy Corbyn said after talks with the Prime Minister.
The Labour leader said the meeting was “useful but inconclusive” and said “there has not been as much change as I expected” in the Prime Minister’s position.
Mr Corbyn reiterated his view that another referendum should be held to prevent either a no-deal Brexit or a bad deal but he said no “red lines in the future” on any potential agreement he might reach with the Prime Minister were discussed.
His comments came as Emily Thornberry wrote to shadow cabinet colleagues calling for a public vote on any deal.
Following his lengthy talks with the Prime Minister, which included senior frontbenchers from both sides, Mr Corbyn said: “I want the Government to understand that the House does not support the deal that she has agreed.
“She has got to come up, even at this very late stage, with something that is acceptable to the House, which does move in the direction that I have said the Labour Party wants in order to reach an agreement with the EU.
“The dangers of crashing out with no deal are very, very serious, very serious indeed - they have to be avoided.”

Speaking in his parliamentary office, the Labour leader said: “We had a discussion and there hasn’t been as much change as I expected but we are continuing to have some discussions tomorrow morning to explore some of the technical issues.
“The meeting was useful but inconclusive.”
Mr Corbyn said he put forward Labour’s view that “we want to achieve a customs union with the European Union, we want to have access to the market and, in particular, we discussed the dynamic regulatory alignment that is guaranteeing European regulations as a minimum on the environment as well as consumer and employment rights”.
Asked about whether a referendum on any agreement should be on the table - as shadow foreign secretary Ms Thornberry has reportedly said - Mr Corbyn said: “There was no deal offered (by the Prime Minister).
“There was no deal offered by us either. We just discussed where we are at.
“She reiterated where she is at at the present time. So red lines in the future didn’t come up.”
But Mr Corbyn said he raised the issue of a public vote with Mrs May.
“I said this is the policy of our party, that we would want to pursue the option of a public vote to prevent crashing out or to prevent leaving with a bad deal.
“There was no agreement reached on that, we just put it there as one of the issues that the Labour Party conference voted on last year.”
In her letter, obtained by the Guardian, Ms Thornberry set out her points ahead of an emergency shadow cabinet meeting which she was unable to attend.
“If we look like reaching any other decision than confirmatory vote that would be in breach of the decision made unanimously by conference in Liverpool and overwhelmingly supported by our members and it needs to be put to a vote by the shadow cabinet,” the letter said.
She added that if there was a vote “can I - in writing - confirm that my votes are that yes, any deal agreed by Parliament must be subject to a confirmatory public vote, and yes, the other option on the ballot must be remain”.
Mr Corbyn stressed that the Prime Minister was “keen to get a vote through the House next week” in order to reach an agreement with the EU which would not involve taking part in the May 23 European elections.
He pinned the blame for the Brexit impasse on the Prime Minister and her “totally ridiculous” handling of the process.
“When the history of the British Parliament is written, this will be a remarkable period and a remarkable week - fascinating in that sense.
“But take the thing back a bit, this is a totally ridiculous process we have got ourselves into.
“The Government started the negotiations with the EU more than two-and-a-half years ago, they didn’t consult anybody, they didn’t involve anybody, they didn’t take any soundings of the House.
“They just steamed ahead with it.”

Jeremy Corbyn just tweeted this. Difference in Corbyn’s and Emily Thornberry’s choice of words is revelatory - Corbyn says “option” of a public vote, Thornberry said “insist”.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry has written to the shadow cabinet ahead of an emergency meeting tonight, telling cabinet members that “not to insist” on a second referendum would constitute a “breach” of Labour’s commitments made at the conference, Sky’s Faisal Islam reports:

Labour’s Emily Thornberry abstained in the Cooper vote, as did Labour MP Karen Buck, another ardent campaigner for a confirmatory referendum, which is another sign that People’s Vote campaigners fear that the potential ruling out of no-deal could make it unlikely for Jeremy Corbyn to support a referendum.

One of the biggest questions of the evening is whether Jeremy Corbyn will provoke a fallout with his frontbench over the second referendum issue.

My colleague Heather Stewart has written an excellent piece on this. She writes:

Thornberry’s intervention underlines the balancing act facing Corbyn, who was already under intense pressure to raise the issue of a referendum in talks with the prime minister.

Full story below.

Parliament is drowning in chaos as MPs complain about confusing or missing lists of amendments, limited time to read them and non-functioning printers. Do tune in if you can, it’s quite something.

The Cooper bill will now go on to Committe stage, with more votes scheduled for 10pm.

If the vote passes, no-deal is off the table, provided the EU would agree to grant a long extension if no deal is passed in parliament by April 12.

Until then, preparations for no-deal remain in full swing. This from my colleague Lisa O’Carroll, the Guardian Brexit correspondent:

MPs pass bill to rule out no-deal by majority of 5 at second reading

MPs have voted in favour of the Cooper bill with a majority of five votes.

Ayes: 315, Noes: 310.

A quick reminder that speaker John Bercow said earlier that if the Cooper bill vote would end in another tie and require his vote, he would vote in favour to move it on for further discussion, in accordance with precedent.

Updated

Various pundits are pointing out that Jeremy Corbyn might have hinted that he would not support a second referendum if a no-deal scenario is prevented - which would be the case if the Cooper bill passes - or if a compromise with the PM is reached that is in line with Labour’s policies.

This from Kevin Schofield, editor of PoliticsHome.com:

Updated

MPs are now voting on the Cooper bill.

This from my colleague Jessica Elgot:

Updated

Jeremy Corbyn has written to Labour MPs to update them about the “constructive exploratory discussions” he had with the PM earlier.

This from the New Stateman’s Patrick Maguire:

Hello everyone, I’m taking over from my colleague Andrew Sparrow.

The drama in the Commons simply refuses to ebb down: Around 7pm, parliament will vote on the Cooper bill - which seeks to enshrine in law that Theresa May has to ask Brussels for a longer extension instead of crashing out without a deal if no withdrawal deal is passed by April 12.

A passing of this vote would spell the end of the no-deal Brexit dream many Leavers still hold onto, but it is expected to be another tight one that could be decided by just a handful of votes or abstentions - the motion to move the bill passed by just a single vote earlier at 312:311.

Yvette Cooper just described her bill as a “simple, practical and transparent” way to support the PM in the withdrawal process, while Caroline Lucas MP referred to it as a “vital safety-net” in the Commons. The “life-long” Brexit-supporter Martin Wickers MP urged MPs to vote against it.

Remain-backing ministers could resign to push the bill over the line.

This is from BuzzFeed’s Alex Wickham.

And that’s all from me for tonight.

My colleague Jedidajah Otte is now taking over.

The Scottish parliament will be recalled from its Easter holidays for an emergency meeting next week but only if it is clear the UK will be crashing out of the EU with a no deal Brexit after next week’s EU summit.

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, had originally suggested to her cabinet on Tuesday that Holyrood could be asked to sit for much of next week because of the significance of an imminent threat of a no deal Brexit, scrapping their Easter break.

While the Scottish Greens backed that proposal, it was understood it was resisted by Labour, the Lib Dems and the Tories, who said they could support an emergency recall but only in the certainty a no-deal Brexit would be taking place.

Ken Macintosh, Holyrood’s presiding officer, said these options had been discussed by the parties this week, who had agreed there should be an emergency session on Thursday 11 April instead of suspending the Easter recess entirely. He said:

I can confirm that my intention is to recall parliament next week to meet at 1.00pm on Thursday 11 April in the circumstances that the UK is due to leave the EU without a deal on the following day.

I indicated last week that I would try and give members at least two days’ notice of the decision whether or not to recall. This is clearly an ongoing, developing situation and I may therefore not be in a position to confirm a recall to members until after decisions are taken at the EU summit on Wednesday 10 April.

Updated

Bank of England governor says no-deal now 'default option'

Bank of England governor Mark Carney said recent wrangling in parliament meant the prospect of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal was “alarmingly high”.

Speaking on Sky News Carney warned that a no-deal Brexit was now “the default option” and would cause havoc at British ports. He said:

No-deal would happen by accident, it would happen suddenly, there would be no transition - it is an accidental disorderly Brexit.

His comments were seen as a swipe at his predecessor Lord King, who last week said the UK could leave the EU on World Trade Organisations terms and maintain zero tariffs and concerns about queues of lorries on the M20 were “pretty absurd.”

Carney said: “Forget the fiction… (it’s) absolute nonsense. It needs to be called out.”

Unison, the public services union, is calling for any final Brexit deal to be put to a public vote. In a statement, Dave Prentis, its general secretary, said:

A general election is our preferred option, but until that time, the so-called Norway plus plan, allowing the UK to remain in the customs union and the single market is the next best bet.

Whatever deal emerges in the coming days should be put to the country. We cannot allow the UK’s future to be dashed on the rocks of a no-deal Brexit.

No 10 and Labour plan further talks after both sides say May/Corbyn meeting was 'constructive'

This is what Labour said in the statement that it issued after the May/Corbyn talks. A party spokesman said:

We have had constructive exploratory discussions about how to break the Brexit deadlock. We have agreed a programme of work between our teams to explore the scope for agreement.

And this is what a Number 10 spokesman said about the meeting.

Today’s talks were constructive, with both sides showing flexibility and a commitment to bring the current Brexit uncertainty to a close. We have agreed a programme of work to ensure we deliver for the British people, protecting jobs and security.

Theresa May was joined by David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister, Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, and Julian Smith, the chief whip.

Jeremy Corbyn was joined by Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, Nick Brown, Labour’s chief whip, and Seumas Milne, Corbyn’s director of communications and strategy.

Each side is going to appoint a negotiating team. Those teams will meet tonight to agree a programme of work, and then again tomorrow, for what government sources are saying will be “a full day of intensive discussion”

Members of the Labour team before their meeting with the PM. Left to right: Nick Brown, Keir Starmer, Jeremy Corbyn and Rebecca Long-Bailey
Members of the Labour team before their meeting with the PM. Left to right: Nick Brown, Keir Starmer, Jeremy Corbyn and Rebecca Long-Bailey Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

Updated

John Bercow, the Speaker, is now taking points of order.

Sir Bill Cash, the Tory Brexiter, says the Cooper bill should not be allowed without a money resolution - a resolution that has to be moved by a government minister authorising government spending.

Bercow says he has been advised that that is not necessary.

Here is a Guardian graphic showing how the rate of ministerial resignations under Theresa May compares with the rate under her predecessors.

How ministerial resignations under Theresa May compare with resignations under her predecessors
How ministerial resignations under Theresa May compare with resignations under her predecessors

MPs vote to go ahead with debating Yvette Cooper's bill by majority of one

The main business motion has been passed by 312 votes to 311 - a majority of one.

That means the debate on the Cooper bill will go ahead.

How Bercow explained why he used his casting vote against Benn amendment

And here is more from what John Bercow told MPs about why he used his casting vote as he did.

My recollection - and I’ve been saying this for years across the country to audiences, so I hope it’s right - is that the last occasion on which the speaker had to exercise a casting vote was in 1993, and I believe it was appertaining to the Maastricht Treaty bill ... I think it was on an amendment relating to the social chapter, and it was an amendment in the name of the then leader of the opposition [John Smith] and Speaker Boothroyd cast her vote in the way that she did, against that amendment. And the rationale ... for the exercise of the casting vote is that it is not for the chair to create a majority that doesn’t otherwise exist.

The way in which the casting vote is exercised does also depend upon the stage at which the matter is being aired. So, for example, it would be exercised differently on the second reading of a bill, where there is an important principle of encouraging further debate ... but if it’s the final stage of a bill, the casting vote would be against.

In a situation in which a decision would be made that a day would be allocated for particular business [ie, the Benn amendment], I judge that it is not right for me to make that decision if the house hasn’t by a clear majority done so.

This is what John Bercow told MPs when explaining his casting vote.

In accordance with precedent, and on the principle that important decisions should not be taken except by a majority, I cast my vote with the noes.

So the final vote was 311 to 310.

MPs are now voting on the main business motion - setting out the arrangements to this afternoon’s debate on the Cooper bill.

But if the Benn amendment was defeated, there must be a strong chance that this will get defeated too.

Bercow uses casting vote after first Commons tie in 26 years to block backbench indicative votes

Bercow says, in accordance with precedent, and with the principle that important votes should not be taken except by a majority, Bercow votes with the noes.

Updated

It is a tie - 310 votes on each side.

Mark Francois, the Tory Brexiter, says there are rumours it’s a tie. “So can we have a people’s vote and do it twice?”

Patrick McLoughlin, the Tory former chief whip, asks John Bercow, the Speaker, what is happening.

Bercow says there was a delay, and he asked the two chief whips to confer. He asked them to be brief.

He will update MPs soon, he says.

This is from an Institute for Government briefing on what the Speaker should do if there’s a tie.

One of the most important, albeit very rarely used, powers the Speaker has is to exercise the casting vote in the event of a draw. The use of this power is governed by a long-standing principle aimed at maintaining the Speaker’s impartiality, namely that they should not vote against the overall majority. The Speaker should vote in favour of allowing further discussion and avoid making final decisions by a casting vote. In practice, this means that a tie at second reading should be resolved by the Speaker voting for the bill – on the basis that there will then be opportunity for further discussion. At third reading they would vote against, on the basis that the law should not be changed except with the will of the entire House.

This power was used seven times between 1974 and 1979. It was almost needed when the Callaghan government was defeated on a vote of confidence of 311 versus 310. It was most recently exercised on 22 July 1993 during the parliamentary vote on the Maastricht Treaty, when votes were tied on 317. The then Speaker Betty Boothroyd voted against the leader of the opposition’s amendment on the basis that the decision should only be taken by a majority. But the government lost the vote on the motion itself.

Updated

From Labour’s Angela Eagle

From the Lib Dem MP Tom Brake

From the Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson

This is from Labour’s Mary Creagh.

During the debate on the business motion Tory Brexiters objected to the procedure being used to pass the Yvette Cooper bill (using a motion to all backbenchers, not the government, to decide Commons business for a day). Here are extracts from two of the Brexiter speeches.

From Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader

I recall when I first came here that it was always a requirement that every bill should have 100 hours in committee before they are allowed as a government to bring back to the floor of the house any kind of guillotine motion.

So debate and scrutiny took place in the committees, or on the floor of the house for that matter, at great length.

I think the quality of our examination of our bills was infinitely better than what followed under the subsequent Labour government that introduced these programme motions immediately on the back of the bill.

That has meant this House has fallen into disrepute for its inability to properly scrutinise legislation in the way it should have done.

From Sir Bill Cash

I think [the procedure being used] is reprehensible, I think it is a constitutional revolution, and I also believe that is a very, very undesirable precedent.

(In the past, when Labour was in office, Cash used to be in favour of the backbenchers having more control over Commons business.)

The debate on the business motion is now over, and MPs are now voting.

The first vote is on Hilary Benn’s amendment, which says next Monday should be set aside for more indicative votes.

The government has said it is planning its own indicative votes, if Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn cannot agree a unified Brexit plan, but under the Benn amendment the government would lose control of the Commons business on Monday.

And here is the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar on the May/Corbyn meeting.

Jeremy Corbyn’s meeting with Theresa May is over, the Telegraph’s Anna Mikhailova reports.

SNP, Lib Dems, Independent Group, Plaid Cymru and Greens unite to demand second referendum

Here is the joint statement released by Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader, Sir Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader, Chuka Umunna, the Independent Group spokesperson, Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader, and the Green MP Caroline Lucas demanding a second referendum. (See 4.05pm.) They said:

The UK is in the midst of a Brexit crisis led by a government dictated by incompetence.

Given everything we now know - and the detrimental impact Brexit will have on the UK’s economy, job opportunities and people’s livelihoods, the priority must be bringing the issue back to the people in a people’s vote – with the option to remain on the ballot paper.

We are in agreement that there is no such thing as a good Brexit and that people across the UK face being worse off.

We have shown over the past three years we are willing to find a compromise position to end the impasse.

Time is fast running out and any compromise that is reached must be brought back to the people through a fresh referendum, and keep the option to revoke article 50 on the table to avoid a no-deal Brexit.

May has not been told full truth about how well prepared UK is for no-deal, Heaton-Harris claims

In his resignation letter (see 4.12pm) Chris Heaton-Harris, the now former Brexit minister, says he does not think Theresa May is fully aware of quite how much has been done within government to prepare the UK for no-deal. He says:

Whilst I would have preferred to leave the European Union with your deal, I truly believe our country would have swiftly overcome any immediate issues of leaving without a deal and gone on to thrive.

It has been a privilege to work with some quite brilliant civil servants in my department and across government. They have moved mountains to prepare our country for leaving the European Union without a negotiated deal. Unfortunately, I do not believe the briefings you have received on these matters recently have reflected all they have achieved or the preparations our European partners have made.

Chris Heaton-Harris (left), who has resigned as a Brexit minister today, photographed in Downing Street last year with his then boss, Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary
Chris Heaton-Harris (left), who has resigned as a Brexit minister today, photographed in Downing Street last year with his then boss, Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

Brexit minister Chris Heaton-Harris resigns saying he's opposed to any further delay in leaving EU

The Brexit minister Chris Heaton-Harris has resigned. Heaton-Harris is an enthusiastic Brexiter and there has been speculation all day that he might follow Nigel Adams, who resigned as a junior minister earlier because he thought Theresa May was making a “grave error” in trying to seek a compromise with Jeremy Corbyn.

In his resignation letter Heaton-Harris says that he thought the UK should have left the EU on 29 March, as planned, and that he cannot support any further extension.

As a Brexit minister he was responsible for no-deal planning. He also tells May that her determination to avoid no-deal “obviously makes my job in government irrelevant”.

The leaders of five of the smaller parties or groups at Westminster, the SNP, the Lib Dems, the Independent Group, Plaid Cymru and the Greens, are giving a joint statement to the BBC in central lobby at Westminster. They are all in favour of another referendum on Brexit, and they are expressing their concern that that this will not feature in any plan that might be endorsed by Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn. They also made the argument that, if MPs are allowed to vote more than once on Brexit, the public should have this right too.

Left to right: Sir Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader; Ian Blackford, the SNP Westminster leader; Chuka Umunna, the Independent Group spokesperson; Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru Westminster leader; and Green MP Caroline Lucas
Left to right: Sir Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader; Ian Blackford, the SNP Westminster leader; Chuka Umunna, the Independent Group spokesperson; Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru Westminster leader; and Green MP Caroline Lucas Photograph: BBC

This is from the Institute for Government’s Alasdair de Costa on Nigel Adams’ resignation.

Updated

These are from the Evening Standard’s Joe Murphy.

As the Irish Times reports, Pierre Moscovici, the European commissioner responsible for economic and financial affairs, also said that there was “an increasing risk of no-deal Brexit on April 12” at his press conference earlier.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, tweeted this after a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn. She does not seem to think Labour will strike a deal on Brexit with Theresa May.

From the FT’s George Parker

From the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg

These are from Newsnight’s Nicholas Watt.

This is from my colleague Heather Stewart.

In the Commons Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, has just said that the government will oppose the business motion. She says that is because the government does not approve of this process allowing backbenchers to take control of the Commons business.

The SNP’s Pete Wishart is speaking now. He starts by asking Leadsom to say whether or not the government will be voting against the actual Cooper bill at second reading, but Leadsom chooses not to respond.

Juncker says no-deal Brexit on 12 April now 'very likely'

Here is the full text of the speech Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission, gave in the European parliament earlier today.

And here are the main points he made.

  • Juncker said MPs must be able to approve the withdrawal agreement by next Friday, or else the UK would either face either no-deal or a long Brexit extension. He said:

In light of prime minister May’s statement last night, I believe we now have a few more days. If the United Kingdom is in a position to approve the withdrawal agreement with a sustainable majority by 12 April, the European Union should be prepared to accept a delay until 22 May.

But 12 April is the ultimate deadline for the approval of the withdrawal agreement by the House of Commons. If it has not done so by then, no further short extension will be possible. After 12 April, we risk jeopardising the European parliament elections, and so threaten the functioning of the European Union.

  • He said the EU was ready to start talks on the future relationship as soon as the withdrawal agreement is agreed. He said:

On the EU side, we stand ready to launch the talks and negotiations on the future partnership as soon as the withdrawal agreement is signed. Before the ink is dry. The commission’s negotiating team is in place. Michel Barnier, our chief negotiator, is ready. I would expect the same level of readiness on the United Kingdom side.

  • He said that a no-deal Brexit on 12 April was now “very likely”. He said:

I believe that a “no deal” at midnight on the 12 April is now a very likely scenario. It is not the outcome I want. But it is an outcome for which I have made sure the European Union is ready.

  • He said there was no such thing as a “managed no-deal”.

The United Kingdom will be affected more than the European Union because there is no such thing as a “managed or negotiated no-deal” and there is no such thing as a “no-deal transition”.

The concept of a “managed no-deal” is one promoted by some Brexiters, who argue that the various mitigating measures drawn as part of no-deal planning would make no-deal acceptable. In his speech Juncker referred to these measures, but he said they would not stop the UK being affected. He said:

The measures we and the member states have taken will mitigate the worst impact of a “no-deal” scenario. The protection offered is real. The measures will make sure that EU and UK citizens can continue to live and work where they are at the moment. They make sure that planes can take off and land. We have adapted our financial instrument to make it possible to help fishing communities. We have identified the ways in which law enforcement cooperation can continue. We have taken steps to mitigate disruption on our financial markets.

The measures we have taken are time-limited and unilateral. They provide a cushion for key EU interests at least until the end of the year. But disruption will be inevitable for citizens, for businesses and for almost every sector.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, speaking in the European parliament earlier today.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, speaking in the European parliament earlier today. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

Downing Street says the government will be not be supporting the Yvette Cooper bill, my colleague Heather Stewart reports.

Juncker says UK will face either no-deal or long extension if deal not passed by next Friday

These are from RTE’s Tony Connelly.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission, president is confirming that next Friday has become a hard deadline for the EU.

  • Juncker says MPs must be able to approve the withdrawal agreement by next Friday, or the UK will face either no-deal or a long Brexit delay. This quashes the very faint prospect that the EU might have agreed another short extension to allow time for the deal to pass parliament. But, if MPs were to agree a deal by next week, Theresa May is hoping that the EU would agree to another short extension, lasting not beyond 22 May.

Updated

This, from the New Statesman’s Patrick Maguire, is interesting.

Nikki da Costa, who used to be director of legislative affairs for Theresa May in Number 10, is horrified.

David Davis, the Tory former Brexit secretary, intervenes. He says he is worried about the idea of passing a bill like this in one day. He says the last time the government did this was when it passed the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act. Davis says he later spent a long time challenging that in court.

Oliver Letwin says that was a much more complicated piece of legislation.

MPs debate business motion ahead of Yvette Cooper bill

MPs are now debating the business motion for today’s proceedings in the Commons.

This is the third day that backbenchers have effectively hijacked Commons business (which is normally under the control of the government) to allow for Brexit debates. On Wednesday last week, and on Monday this week, it was for indicative votes. Today it is to allow MPs to pass Yvette Cooper’s bill requiring the PM to seek an article 50 extension.

The business motion is on the order paper here (pdf).

As well as setting aside today for a debate allowing the Cooper bill to pass its Commons stages by 10pm tonight, the business motion also says MPs must get time to debate it when it comes back from the Lords.

And Labour’s Hilary Benn has tabled an amendment to the business motion saying next Monday should be set aside for another round of indicative votes.

John Bercow, the Speaker, has announced that he will call the Benn amendment. And Sir Oliver Letwin, the Tory former cabinet minister behind the indicative votes process who is opening the debate now, has just said he accepts the Benn amendment.

Lunchtime summary

Does it remain the position of the prime minister that the leader of the opposition is not fit to govern?

And his fellow Tory Brexiter Caroline Johnson said:

If it comes to the point when we have to balance the risk of a no-deal Brexit versus the risk of letting down the country and ushering in a Marxist, antisemite-led government, what does she think at the point is the lowest risk?

  • May has refused to rule out the UK taking part in European elections if the EU insists on a long article 50 extension. (See 12.53pm.)
  • May has been accused of only inviting Corbyn to Brexit talks as “a trap”. The SNP’s Stewart Hosie made this charge at PMQs. (See 1.20pm.) And Ben Bradshaw is one of the Labour MPs who have made the same argument.

The Scottish government will use Brexit talks with the prime minister to try to push for voters to be given another say on staying in the European Union, Nicola Sturgeon’s Brexit Secretary has said. As the Press Association reports, with the first minister in London for discussions with Theresa May, Mike Russell suggested the “best outcome” to the Brexit deadlock would be a People’s Vote. He told MSPs in Edinburgh:

If I were able to wave a magic wand and get what I want - apart from no Brexit, which has been a complete distraction and disaster for the last two and half years of massively damaging proportions - then it would have to be a very long delay, a referendum, the European elections taking place and perhaps some calmness coming into this to look at the damage that would be done by proceeding along the present lines.

That PMQs was the second longest on record, according to the Press Association. Today’s lasted 55 minutes. The longest took place on April 26 2017 and lasted 56 minutes.

This is from my colleague Heather Stewart.

PMQs - Snap verdict

PMQs - Snap verdict: There is an alternate universe where perhaps David Cameron never announced a referendum, or remain won, and politics in 2019 is devoted to the usual arguments about things like the economy, wages, poverty and welfare reform. After a brief and rather gracious statement welcoming her invitation for Brexit talks, Jeremy Corbyn took us into this parallel universe for about 15 minutes or so by devoting all his questions to economy/welfare issues. “Parallel universe” is not quite right though, because it’s the real world he was describing - Britain in 2019 - and his questions sounded like a reliable canter through what would be the main issues in a (Brexit-free) election campaign. Theresa May seemed happy to engage with Corbyn on this territory, although his talking points were more compelling than hers. But it all felt like a huge distraction from the crisis engulfing the government, and the country, and May came under much more pressure from her own MPs than she did from Corbyn. By my count, seven Tory Brexiters (Davis Amess, David Jones, Lee Rowley, Julian Lewis, Caroline Johnson, Christopher Chope and Nigel Evans) taunted her with varying degrees of anger over her decision last night to embrace Labour in the hope of getting a Brexit deal through parliament. They weren’t calling for her to quit, because she has promised that already, but nevertheless from that wing of the party all respect for her has now vanished. The best question came from Evans, who tried, and failed, to get an assurance from her that the UK would not fight European elections. (See 12.53pm.) Expect to hear a a lot more about this in the coming days. And the other standout question came from the SNP’s Stewart Hosie. He asked May:

After two years of Brexit deadlock, intransigence and a seven-hour cabinet meeting, the best the prime minister can do is invite the leader of the British Labour party to become the co-owner of her Brexit failure. Let me ask her, had she been the leader of the opposition, and invited into a trap like this, would she have been foolish enough to accept?

Hosie did not get a proper answer, but many Labour MPs were probably thinking his analysis was spot on.

Updated

And that’s it. PMQs has finally ended, after 56 minutes - almost double the amount of time for which it is scheduled. I’m not keeping count, but that could be a record.

Nick Boles, who resigned the Tory whip, says sitting next to the Lib Dems and the SNP is unusual for him. But he remains a progressive conservative, he says. He asks for an assurance that May will enter the talks with Corbyn without the red lines that have bedevilled the talks so far.

May says she wants to find a resolution to this issue.

May refuses to rule out UK holding European elections if EU insists on long article 50 extension

Nigel Evans, a Tory Brexiter, asks May if she will say “no, no, no” if the EU insist that the UK has to fight European elections to get another article 50 extension.

May says she wants a deal that enables the UK to leave on 22 May, so it does not have to fight the European elections. But that will only happen if MPs vote for a deal, she ways.

  • May refuses to rule out the UK holding European elections if the EU insists on a long article 50 extension.

The SNP’s Kirsty Blackman says freedom of movement is good socially and economically, and it is good for young people. Will May be honest about those benefits, and retain them?

May says she wants an immigration system that means people are admitted on the basis of their skills, not on the basis of coming from the EU.

Labour’s Karin Smyth says some government suggestions for schools, like cutting the size of lunches, are unacceptable. They belong in the days of the workhouse.

May says funding for schools is going up.

Labour’s Naz Shah says Sadiq Khan has never had an apology for the Islamophobic campaign the Tories ran against him in 2016. Will May apologise now?

May sidesteps the question, but says the government takes Islamphobia very seriously. It recently held a summit on how to tackle it.

Sir Chrisopher Chope, a Tory Brexiter, says he agrees with the 14 members of the cabinet who said the UK should leave the EU next week with no-deal. What benefits does May expect to see from no-deal?

May says Chope should not believe everything he reads in the papers. (See 10.59am.)

She says the cabinet took a decision collectively yesterday to back her approach.

The DUP’s Jim Shannon asks which of the Labour policies on Brexit May supports.

May says she and Corbyn both want to deliver on Brexit.

Caroline Johnson, a Tory, asks about the risk of a no-deal Brexit compared to the risk to the country from a “Marxist, antisemite-led government”.

May says she wants a Brexit deal.

Labour’s Martin Whitfield asks about toilet facilities for people with disabilities.

May says this is a very important issue. The government wants to help people with invisible disabilities who suffer abuse if they use toilets for the disabled (the issue specifically raised by Whitfield).

Julian Lewis, a Tory Brexiter, asks why a PM who repeatedly said no deal was better than a bad deal is now asking Labour MPs to block a WTO Brexit.

May says no deal is better than a bad deal, but she has a good deal.

Last Friday MPs had a chance to vote for that.

She says she wants the UK to leave the EU in an orderly way. That is why she has been sitting down with MPs from across the house.

The SNP’s Stewart Hosie says, after two years of deadlock and a seven hour cabinet meeting, the best she can do is invite Corbyn to become co-owner of her failure. If she were leader of the opposition, would she fall into a trap like this.

May says all MPs should be working on a Brexit solution.

Lee Rowley, a Tory Brexiter, says May said last week Corbyn was the biggest threat to the UK. What qualifies him to be involved in Brexit?

May says every member of the house is involved in Brexit. She wants it to happen in an orderly way, as soon as possible, and without the need for the UK to fight European elections.

Labour’s Preet Kaur Gill asks May if she will speed up the diagnosis time for children with autism.

May says some parents find it very difficult to get help for their children if they have autism. She says the government is reviewing its autism strategy.

Philip Lee, a Conservative pro-European, says over 58% of the public want a final say on Brexit. Are they right?

May says the government should be delivering on the result of the first referendum.

David Jones, a Conservative, asks if May still thinks Corbyn is “not fit to govern”.

May says she said earlier what Labour would do to the economy. She does not think Labour should be in government. After the Salisbury novichok attack, she stood up to Russia. But Corbyn said he would prefer to believe the Russian government than the intelligence services.

Labour’s Afzal Khan says there is a reception in the Commons today to commemorate teh 51 Muslims killed in Christchurch. There is a problem in the Tory party with Islamophobia. But the party won’t acknowledge that. When will May deal with it and accept the MCB definition of Islamophobia?

May says her party takes these incidents very seriously. On attacks against mosques, she says the home secretary has announced extra funding to protect them.

Labour’s Owen Smith says, when May sits down with Corbyn, she will hear that Labour’s policy is for a people’s vote on her deal. If she agrees, it will pass. Will she?

(It is not obvious that she will hear that from Corbyn.)

May sidesteps the question, and she and Corbyn both want to deliver on the result of the referendum.

Nigel Adams, who resigned as a minister earlier over Brexit (see 9.46am), urges May to back a campaign for step-free access for Selby railway station. This is important for his constituents, he says. The people of Selby demand action, he says.

May thanks Adams for his work as a minister and says she is sorry he has resigned.

She says Adams’ “considerable weight” has been behind this campaign for a long time. His weight “as a campaigner”, she clarifies. She says there will be an announcement about new funding for stations tomorrow.

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, says although the SNP wants a people’s vote, it has sought compromise. Why has it been ignored? Why is May just inviting Corbyn in? Why are the voices of Scotland being ignored?

May says she is meeting Nicola Sturgeon later today.

She says she and Corbyn want to leave the EU with a deal. But the SNP wants to revoke article 50, she says.

Blackford say he knew Sturgeon was meeting May. But he was talking about the SNP being excluded from formal talks. Scotland will not accept a Tory or Labour Brexit, he says. It voted to remain in the EU and it will not be dragged out against its will.

May says she is always happy to meet party leaders. She wants to find a way forward that delivers Brexit as soon as possible.

Dame Cheryl Gillan, a Conservative, asks May to encourage more government departments to introduce autism awareness measures. And she urges more MPs to undertake autism training.

May praises the achievement of the Autism Act, introduced by Gillan 10 years ago. The government will continue to look at this, she says.

Corbyn says Waspi women (Women Against State Pension Inequality) will be alarmed by what May said. He asks if the government will guarantee free TV licences for the over-75s.

May says the BBC is in a position to do that with the money it gets.

Corbyn says the last Labour government promised this. May is now outsourcing this to the BBC. It should be government policy, he says. He contrasts the record of the last Labour government with the record of this government. This government has made a political choice. There is nothing inevitable about rising poverty. Unless this government tackles rising poverty and low pay, her government will be a failure.

May says she did not realise Corbyn was such a fan of the last Labour government. He spent his time voting against it. This government has introduced the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights for 20 years. Councils are free to build more homes. There are world-class public services. The Tories are delivering on things that matter.

Updated

Corbyn says May should think about what she says. The last Labour government halved child poverty, and brought in Sure Start centres. The Trussell Trust says food bank use has increased by more than 50% where universal credit has been introduced. Why is the government pushing ahead with cuts to pension credit for couples where one person is below pension age.

May says under Labour we saw a 75p pension rise.

Corbyn says the last Labour government lifted 2 million pensioners out of poverty. He says the Tories promised to scrap the triple-lock at the last election. Will May rules this out as government policy, and rule it out for the next manifesto?

May says the government has made its commitments to pensioners. Pensions have gone up, he says.

Updated

Jeremy Corbyn welcomes May’s offer of talks and her “willingness to compromise”, and says he looks forward to seeing her later.

Why has poverty risen under May’s administration?

May says no one wants to see poverty rise. But the only way to stop this is with strong employment, with welfare, and by making sure work pays. In 2010 someone on the minimum wage working full time would have taken home £9,200. Now it is £13,700.

Corbyn says the Tories strongly opposed the introduction of the minimum wage. But people on these wages are on poverty wages. Universal credit is failing. Will May halt its roll-out and agree to a thorough review of it.

May says the government has changed it. The taper rate has changed, and the seven-day waiting list has been abolished.

She says the only sustainable way to deal with poverty is to have a strong economy delivering better jobs for people. She says a Labour government would spend £1,000bn more than the Tories. It would put up taxes. Labour has opposed tax cuts. Tax cuts keep people in work.

Updated

Sir David Amess, a Tory Brexiter, says party loyalty is being stretched. He says Brexit should mean Brexit. And then, with a reference to Southend-on-Sea wanting city status, he calls for a meaningful vote (on Brexit, presumably, not the status of Southend).

May says when Brexit gets delivered, places like Southend will have a better future.

Southend will be a leading part of that better future, she says.

Updated

Theresa May starts by saying April marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the UK’s longest-running military operation - Operation Relentlessness, the nuclear submarine deployment at sea.

But “relentless” could apply to Brexit too ...

Updated

PMQs

PMQs is about to start.

I will post my snap summary when it is over.

Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, is also meeting Theresa May today. He has been tweeting about what he will say to her.

Presumably Drakeford has been invited because Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, is seeing May too. But they are not equivalent. Although they both run devolved administrations, Sturgeon is leader of the SNP, a party with 35 MPs in the Commons. Drakeford is a Labour politician, but May has already arranged to see the leader who decides how Labour MPs vote, Jeremy Corbyn.

This is from the Mail on Sunday’s Harry Cole.

My colleague Jonathan Freedland has written a column on Theresa May’s decision to hold Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn. Here’s an extract.

The question now is: will this move work? Will May and Corbyn strike a grand bargain, agreeing a national unity Brexit? To which the answer is: don’t hold your breath. For some in Labour, that’s because they assume the worst of May and suspect this is no more than a cynical ruse to land the blame for Brexit’s failure on them. And yet one senior shadow cabinet minister told me this morning that May is acting in “good faith” and that the prime minister is “genuinely looking for a concessionary strategy”, albeit one born of necessity.

Still, even that shadow minister doesn’t think this will lead to a May-Corbyn deal, not least because, in their view: “Jeremy is not capable of it.” Even without taking a position on the Labour leader’s skill set, there are good reasons to be sceptical. For one thing, just because May has opted for a change in strategy, it doesn’t mean Corbyn has done the same. His goal has always been for Brexit to happen, but not to be blamed for it. May has just invited him to become co-author of Brexit, with his fingerprints all over it. There is no reason why that should appeal to him. He is, after all, the leader of an overwhelmingly pro-remain party: its members will not look kindly on him acting as the midwife of Brexit.

And here is his full article.

Hilary Benn, the committee chair, goes next.

Q: If the PM agrees a new approach with Jeremy Corbyn, will the government try to amend the political declaration to include that?

Barclay says that will be part of the discussion between May and Corbyn today. The EU would need to agree any change to the political declaration, he says, although he would expect them to do that.

But he says the government can also decide unilaterally to put extra material into the EU withdrawal agreement bill.

Q: Why would the government not want a new political declaration?

Barclay says the two options are not mutually exclusive.

And that’s it. The hearing is over.

In the committee the Tory MP Richard Graham is asking the question now

Q: What do you think the UK will be able to take to the European council next Wednesday? An agreement, and legislation already passed? Or just an agreement?

Stephen Barclay says the UK will need to be able to show “clear purpose”. He does not expect the withdrawal legislation, the EU withdrawal agreement bill, to be passed by then. But the government would want to be able to say what it is doing.

Updated

This is what Simon Coveney, the Irish deputy prime minister and foreign minister, is saying about Ireland backing a UK request for a further, short article 50 extension. (See 10.20am.) Coveney said:

They will look for a short extension next week, and I think Ireland will support that. It is very unlikely that there will be any crash out at the end of next week with the prime minister looking for an extension with a plan to go with that.

Sir Christopher Chope, the Tory Brexiter, goes next.

Q: Were you one of the 14 cabinet ministers yesterday who voted for a no-deal?

Chope is referring to the Telegraph splash.

Barclay says he will not discuss what happened at cabinet.

The Telegraph has been accused of misrepresenting the cabinet discussion by implying that all 14 wanted a no-deal. Here is the Guardian’s account, which of course is more reliable.

Several of those present said that 14 ministers, including Leadsom, Liz Truss and Gavin Williamson, opposed a long extension to leaving the EU and 10 were in favour, including the chancellor, Philip Hammond, who made the case for keeping a second referendum on the table. But others claimed only four cabinet ministers were actually arguing for no deal and the rest of the 14 simply made a case against a long delay while accepting the probable need for another shorter one.

Q: Do you agree with what Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, said in a letter to ministers about the disastrous effects of a no-deal Brexit?

Barclay says he will not comment on leaked documents. But he has always accepted that a no deal poses risks, he says.

Updated

Back in the committee Labour’s Stephen Kinnock is asking the questions now.

Q: The EU Withdrawal Act says MPs must vote on the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration at the same time. So why did the government separate the issues?

Barclay says it was not the government that decided that. It was the EU, he says, because its article 50 extension offer (see 10.44am) just talked about the MPs passing the withdrawal agreement by the end of last week.

This is probably worth clarifying.

What has the EU said about offering the UK another article 50 extension?

User avatar for Shadowfirebird

I was under the impression that the EU had granted the current extension on the proviso that we could only extend again past May 12 if we took part in the EU elections?

Was that just me?

The conclusions of the EU summit on 21 March are here. And this is what Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, said explaining what they meant.

In the first scenario, that is, if the withdrawal agreement is passed by the House of Commons next week, the European Council agrees to an extension until the 22nd of May.

In the second scenario, that is, if the withdrawal agreement is not approved by the House of Commons next week, the European Council agrees to an extension until the 12th of April, while expecting the United Kingdom to indicate a way forward. 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. The 12th of April is a key date in terms of the UK deciding whether to hold European parliament elections. If it has not decided to do so by then, the option of a long extension will automatically become impossible.

The first scenario has gone. The automatic extension until 22 May has gone, and at the moment the extension deadline is 12 April.

If the UK wants an extension going beyond 22 May, it will have to take part in the European elections. At the moment the government is saying it does not want this.

Instead Theresa May is hoping that the EU will agree an extension going beyond next Friday, but ending at some point before 22 May. This would not require a commitment to take part in the European elections. But whether the EU would agree to this remains to be seen.

The SNP has described Theresa May’s offer of Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn as “Better Together 2.0”, as the BBC reports that Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon is seeking urgent talks herself with the prime minister.

SNP MP Douglas Chapman told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland that it would be “foolish of the prime minister not to include the third party in parliament” in her compromise discussions, likening her planned talks to the alliance between Labour and Tories during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum campaign.

The BBC is reporting that Sturgeon is willing to travel to London today to put her case directly to May, after accusing her of “kicking the can and, yet again, delaying making any decision that could break her cabinet”.

Yesterday the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford announced that the party’s 35 MPs would support Yvette Cooper’s bill which calls on the UK government to bring forward proposals to extend Article 50 in order to avoid crashing out of the EU without a deal. Blackford said:

The SNP has consistently sought to reach a cross-party position to end the Brexit impasse, including options for a second EU referendum, as well as the common market 2.0 proposal, which came closest to the compromise position proposed by the Scottish government back in December 2016, and we will continue to do so.

After yesterday’s cabinet, for a brief moment people thought Penny Mordaunt, the Brexiter international development secretary, might have resigned. But she hadn’t, and this morning, speaking to reporters outside her home, she said she still hoped the PM’s deal would be passed with Tory and DUP voters. She said:

The only way to leave is with the withdrawal agreement. The prime minister is trying to get it through on Conservative votes and has not been able to, she’s now trying to do it with Labour votes.

I would say to colleagues who want a truer Brexit, I still hope we can do this with Conservative and DUP votes.

But above all else, the public are fed-up of the limbo and business needs certainty.

That implies she thinks the prospect of a softer Brexit might persuade Tory Brexiters and DUP MPs who have opposed to deal until now to change their minds.

One problem with this strategy is that the DUP are more opposed to the backstop than they are to the idea of a soft Brexit.

Full text of Nigel Adams' resignation letter

Here is the full text of Nigel Adams’s resignation letter. (See 9.46am.)

Dear Prime Minister,

It has been an honour to serve in your government as a minister since 2017 and I remain a firm admirer of your courage and stoicism during one of the most difficult crises this country has faced for a generation.

I believe we have two great challenges. We must deliver the Brexit the people voted for. And we must prevent the calamity of a Corbyn government.

Sadly, I fear that we are now at risk of simultaneously failing in both.

I have been loyally supportive of your negotiated deal with the EU at every stage as I believe an orderly exit is preferable to leaving without a deal. However, I believe the UK would have coped with leaving with a managed no deal.

At cabinet yesterday, there was an opportunity to get onto the front foot for once. However, by legitimising and turning to Jeremy Corbyn to assist you at this crucial stage, rather than being bold, is a grave error. It is clear that we will now end up in the customs union. That is not the Brexit my constituents were promised, and it is contrary to the pledge we made in our manifesto.

It makes no sense to leave the EU and to have a situation where our trade policy and much of our law is made in Brussels - with no say for the UK.

I and many others agreed with your previous position that no deal is better than a bad deal.

It now seems that you and your cabinet have decided that a deal - cooked up with a Marxist who has never once in his political life, put British interests first - is better than no deal.

I profoundly disagree with this approach and I have therefore decided that I must reluctantly tender my resignation.

It has been a privilege to serve as a minister in the government whips Office, at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and latterly at the Wales Office and I will always be grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of the UK in your government.

I am passionate about my constituency and have always strived to do my best for the people of Selby and Ainsty since 2010. 1 will continue to serve them diligently from the back benches.

Yours sincerely,

Nigel Adams

Theresa May will also be meeting Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister and SNP leader, Sky is reporting.

In the Brexit committee Labour’s Stephen Timms is asking the questions now.

Q: Would the EU have to agree any changes to the political declaration before MPs could vote for it?

Barclays says the EU has said it could respond quickly to any proposed changes.

Q: If the UK wanted an extension lasting beyond 22 May, which would involve the UK taking part in the European elections, when would it have to decide?

Barclay says that is not what the UK wants.

But if it were to decide on that, it would have to put in a request to the EU before the summit on 10 April.

This is from Sky’s Sophia McBride.

Here is another item for the agenda today.

Pierre Moscovici is the European commissioner covering economic and financial affairs.

And 12.30pm Brussels time is 11.30am UK time.

Jonathan Djanogly, a Conservative remainer, asks about reports that the EU has been war-gaming what might happen in the event of no-deal. He says it has been reported that the EU would expect the UK to go back to Brussels quickly seeking to mitigate the consequences.

Barclay says it would be in the interests of both sides to minimise the negative consequences.

My colleague Daniel Boffey explains what Stephen Barclay was talking about when he referred to EU leaders and the Guardian splash last week. (See 9.58am.)

The Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse goes next.

Q: If a confirmatory referendum were attached to the PM’s deal, would you vote against it?

Barclay says there are no preconditions to the talks with Labour.

But he says a second referendum would prolong uncertainty, and could take the UK back to the starting point. He goes on:

But we will need to look at this.

He has his own views, he says.

Q: Is it a red line for you?

Barclay says he does not think there should be a second referendum. That is his personal view.

The prime minister will have the discussions and we will see where they lead.

Back in the Brexit committee, Stephen Crabb, the Conservative former cabinet minister, is asking the questions now.

Q: Are you preparing for the possibility that the EU refuses a further extension?

Barclay says that is possible. Any one EU leader could veto a further extension.

Q: Do you feel patience with the UK is running out?

Barclay says many EU leaders have expressed their frustration. He refers to EU leaders with last week’s Guardian headline after the failure of the first round of indicative votes (the “No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.” headline.)

(Presumably he is referring to EU leaders tweeting it.)

Q: What are the Brexit compromises you would refuse to accept?

Barclay does not give a specific answer. But he says it is important to look at Brexit as a whole, not single issues in isolation. He says he felt people were overstating the dangers of the backstop.

With regard to a soft Brexit generally, he says it will be important to compare the balance of risks between alternative approaches.

Junior minister Nigel Adams resigns over May's 'grave error' in seeking to reach Brexit deal with Corbyn

Nigel Adams has resigned as a whip and a junior minister for Wales because he is opposed to Theresa May’s decision to try to reach a deal with Jeremy Corbyn over Brexit.

In his resignation letter, he says he thinks that May has made a “grave error” that will lead to the UK staying in the customs union.

He says:

I and many others agreed with your previous position that no deal is better than a bad deal.

It now seems that you and your cabinet have decided that a deal - cooked up with a Marxist who has never once in his political life put British interests first – is better than no deal.

I profoundly disagree with this approach and I have therefore decided that I must reluctantly tender my resignation.

Updated

Q: Will the talks with Corbyn start today?

Yes, says Barclay.

Q: Will the government be talking to other parties?

Barclay says the government has spoken to other parties already. But the Conservatives and Labour both promised in their manifesto to honour the results of the 2016 referendum. And “time is of the essence”. And agreement between the Tories and Labour would be the best way forward, he says.

He says there are “areas of common ground” between Labour and the Tories that are not reflected in the public debate.

For example, many Labour MPs accept the withdrawal agreement, but have problems with the political declaration.

On dynamic alignment (ensuring that, if the EU improves workers’ rights, the UK would match those improvements), Barclay says the government has already given a commitment to match the EU during this parliament.

So the gap between Labour (which is insisting on dynamic alignment for the future) and the government is smaller than people think, he says.

Q: You talk about binding indicative votes. So, if the Commons voted for a customs union, would the government accept that?

Barclay says the government wants to reach agreement with Labour.

Q: The PM said in her statement that the government would abide by what MPs voted for.

Benn reads out from what May said last night. She said:

However, if we cannot agree on a single unified approach, then we would instead agree a number of options for the future relationship that we could put to the house in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue.

Crucially, the government stands ready to abide by the decision of the house.

Barclay says he would have concerns about a customs union.

But, as he said on Today, there is “remorseless logic” from the Commons numbers. The government could end up with an “unpalatable choice” between a softer Brexit and an everlasting extension.

Updated

Q: Will a new statutory instrument be required to change exit day?

Barclay says he does not want to point out potential flaws in the Cooper bill.

Q: But if exit day changes, won’t there have to be a new statutory instrument?

Barclay says that is correct.

Q: What will happen if the EU does not offer the extension the UK wants, but a long one instead? Would the government come back to parliament?

Barclay jokes that Benn himself should be answering questions himself, because he is backing the Cooper bill going through the Commons today.

He refers to the Cooper bill as “your legislation” when addressing Benn.

He says the bill says, if the EU offers an alternative length extension to the one proposed by the government, the PM would have to return to the Commons to put that to a vote.

Q: If the UK does not hold European elections, will it have to leave by 22 May?

Barclay says, if the UK wanted an extension beyond 22 May, EU leaders would want to know why. They would want to know why, after three years of not reaching an agreement, the UK might agree something after May.

He says the government does not want an extension beyond 22 May. And he says Theresa May is on record as saying she is opposed to an extension going beyond the end of June.

Q: Why is the government making contingency plans for European elections?

Barclay says, if there were a general election, the cabinet secretary might insist on the European parliamentary elections going ahead, in order not to fetter a possible future government.

Barclay says, if the UK does not hold European elections, it will not be able to get a long extension.

It is not the intention to hold a general election.

But if there was a scenario where a general election, for whatever reason, were triggered, I suspect – and it would be a matter for the cabinet secretary – that the cabinet secretary might say in that instance, in order not to fetter a future government, the European parliamentary elections would need to be held.

That’s why the contingency has been put in place, to ensure that returning officers are able to prepare.

Stephen Barclay
Stephen Barclay Photograph: HoC

Updated

Stephen Barclay at the Brexit committee

The Brexit committee hearing with Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, has started.

Hilary Benn, the committee chair, starts by asking about a tweet from Barclay’s department criticising the common market 2.0 amendment. It was quickly deleted. Why was that?

Barclay says he does not know why. He accepts it might have been because that was judged too political.

Q: When will the PM apply for an article 50 extension?

Barclay says Theresa May intends to meet Jeremy Corbyn today, to see if there is scope for common ground on Brexit. The PM would have to ask for a further extension at the EU summit on Wednesday next week. But it would be normal to submit papers before.

Q: So when might that happen?

Barclay says first there will be talks with Corbyn. Then there might be binding indicative votes. He says the UK still wants to be out of the EU by 22 May. But it has no automatic right to an extension until then, he says.

  • Barclay says UK still wants to leave EU by 22 May.

With her deal failing in parliament, for months Theresa May has a choice: reconcile herself to a no-deal, which is what her Brexiter party wanted; or tack towards a softer Brexit, which is what the remainer parliament would prefer. For months, where at all possible, she avoided taking sides. But last night, in her statement after the day-long cabinet meeting (full text here), she decisively came off the fence. By proposing to negotiate a Brexit compromise with Jeremy Corbyn, she chose a soft Brexit over no deal.

Or, at least, she appeared to. Nothing has been very definitive in this process, and we still have no idea where this will end up.

Here is our overnight summary of the story.

This morning Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, has been giving interviews. Here are the main points.

  • Barclay said the “remorseless logic” of the House of Commons was pushing the UK towards a softer Brexit. He told the Today programme:

It’s undesirable but it’s the remorseless logic of the numbers of the House of Commons. The prime minister’s deal won’t go through and no deal in law is taken off the table, then the consequence of that is either a soft Brexit or no Brexit at all.

And he used the phrase a second time too.

It’s regrettable that what we have been saying for several months now is coming to pass but that is the remorseless logic of not backing the prime minister’s deal. Because the alternative then is to have to seek votes from the opposition benches because 35 of my own colleagues would not support the prime minister’s deal.

  • He implied that the government was resigned to the Yvette Cooper bill, that would require the PM to request an article 50 extension to avoid a no-deal Brexit, becoming law. He said:

The prime minister cannot ignore the law, and parliament will seek to pass a law on the issue of no deal. It has already voted to take no deal off the table. So that is the reality, and if that is the legal position reached by parliament, that is something ministers cannot ignore.

  • He said there were no preconditions for May’s talks with Corbyn. But that does not mean the government was offering him “a blank cheque”, said Barclay, stressing that he found the idea of a customs union “highly undesirable”. He also said the idea of having a second referendum would be “very difficult” for the government to accept.
  • He said that. if the May/Corbyn talks did not lead to a compromise deal, MPs could be asked to take part in more indicative votes on the way ahead. But the new votes might be binding, he said.

We are going to hear more from Barclay in a moment because he is giving evidence to the Brexit committee.

Here is the agenda for the day.

9.15am: Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, gives evidence to the Commons Brexit committee.

9.45am: Michael Gove, the environment secretary, gives evidence to a Lords committee about a no-deal Brexit.

10am: The People’s Vote campaign holds a press conference.

12pm: Theresa May faces Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs.

After 1pm: MPs debate the business motion setting aside today for the debate on Yvette Cooper’s bill requiring the PM to request an article 50 extension to avoid a no-deal Brexit. There is also an amendment saying next Monday should be set aside for another indicative votes debate.

1.30pm: The National Police Chiefs Council hold a briefing on police preparations for Brexit.

After 5pm: MPs are due to start debating the Cooper bill (assuming the business motion passes). The second reading vote would be at 7pm, and the final votes at 10pm.

Afternoon: May is due to meet Corbyn to discuss Brexit.

Today I will be focusing exclusively on Brexit and I will be covering breaking news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web.

You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe round-up of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads.

If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

I try to monitor the comments BTL but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply ATL, although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter.

Updated

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