UK politics - live updates: Theresa May told to put Brexit plan 'out of its misery' as government forced on to defensive

Theresa May‘s main Brexit adviser has been told to put the Chequers plan “out of its misery”.

Olly Robbins was answering questions from the Commons EU Liaison Committee alongside Dominic Raab, the Brexit Secretary.

Earlier, Ms May and Jeremy Corbyn clashed over Brexit and antisemitism as MPs returned to the Commons for the first Prime Minister’s Questions since the summer recess.

The prime minister was ribbed by the Labour leader over her well-documented dancing during a trip to Africa last week, as Mr Corbyn sought to highlight the government’s preparations for Brexit and divisions within the cabinet.

Ms May, meanwhile, said the opposition leader should apologise for a speech – footage of which emerged last week – in which he suggested Zionists in the UK “don’t understand English irony”. She also criticised Labour’s handling of its antisemitism crisis, after the party adopted the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definitions.

Afterwards, she updated MPs on the Salisbury novichok investigation, announcing that the two suspects are believed to be part of Russia’s GRU military intelligence. 

Please wait a moment for the live blog to load

Live Updates

New updates availableRefresh

18:25

Labour MPs have voted 205 to 8 to fully adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and its examples. A further 12 spoiled their ballot paper.

 

John Mann, who has represented Bassetlaw since the 2001, said those who opposed the measure should "announce themselves", according to Politics Home editor Kevin Schofield.

17:21

16:58

PMQs SKETCH: No-deal Brexit "won't be the end of the world" says Theresa May

 

PMQs: No-deal Brexit 'won't be the end of the world' and that's now the official government position

The howls of derision were loud, but frankly, not loud enough

16:57

16:47

FULL STORY: Government's Brexit 'incompetence' condemned by former Bank of England governor Mervyn King

 

Government's Brexit 'incompetence' condemned by former Bank of England governor Mervyn King

Lord King said it 'beggars belief' that the UK is talking about stockpiling medicines and food

16:46

16:40

16:29

NEW: Britain has called a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the latest developments in the Salisbury attack investigation.

Theresa May spoke to Donald Trump last night and to Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, this afternoon, her spokesman said.

He said: "They agreed that the UK and Canada will continue to work closely together to confront the threat which Russia poses to the international rules-based system."

16:23

Theresa May's main Brexit adviser has insisted he is "right behind" the UK leaving the EU.

 

Quizzed by Tory MP Richard Drax while appearing in front of the Commons European Liaison Committee, Olly Robbins said his personal views had no impact on his job.

 

He was asked if "personally, in your heart" he was "right behind" Brexit.

 

He replied:

"I'm right behind, as I have been since I joined the civil service proudly in 1996, the policy of the government of the day,.

"There is no part of my personal views that will ever play a role in how I serve the government of the day."

16:12

A new poll by the Jewish Chronicle has found 40 per cent of British Jews said they would "seriously consider emigrating" if Jeremy Corbyn became prime minister

 

 https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/nearly-40-per-cent-of-british-jews-would-seriously-consider-emigrating-if-corbyn-became-pm-1.469270

16:02

15:54

Theresa May's Europe adviser has rejected calls for him to tell the Prime Minister to put the Chequers plan for Brexit "out of its misery".

Appearing before the Commons European Scrutiny Committee, Olly Robbins said the proposals were a "credible, sensible" offer.

 

The senior official was asked by chairman Bill Cash if he would advise the prime minister to "put Chequers out of its misery as it is now effectively dead?"

 

He replied: "No, I wouldn't. That's a matter for ministers collectively.

 

"The proposals that were published in the white paper before the summer are the Government's collective position."

 

Mr Robbins said the government disagreed with European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier's criticism of the proposals.
 

Additional reporting by PA

15:39

Here, our defence and security editor Kim Sengupta has the definitive account of how UK authorities tracked down the men suspected of poisoning the Skripals:

 

A London hotel room, counterfeit perfume and 11,000 hours of CCTV footage: How Russian novichok suspects were found

Police investigation shares similarities with discovery of polonium trail left by those accused of murdering Alexander Litvinenko

15:21

Our Moscow correspondent, Oliver Carroll, reports how the Kremlin has responded to Theresa May's statement on the poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal:
 

Russia accuses UK of manipulating news after novichok suspects named

'They say it's Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, but they might as well have said John Smith and John Smith,' Viktoria Skripal says

14:59

Exclusive: Labour has tabled Commons motions to tighten penalties on landlords and letting agents who charge tenants unfair fees

Labour seeks unlimited fines against rogue landlords ahead of Commons votes

Exclusive: Party tables amendments to stop unscrupulous landlords ripping off tenants

14:38

Here's more on Theresa May's announcement that the government believes the GRU Russian intelligence service was behind the attack on the Skripals

 

Salisbury attack suspects are Russian security service officers, Theresa May tells MPs

Prime minister says wanted Russian men were spies - but declines to say that Vladimir Putin himself sent them

14:29

French and British officials are to hold talks over the "scallop wars" dispute regarding fishing in the English Channel

 

British and French officials to hold talks over scallop wars after navy placed on standby to 'intervene'

Downing Street looking for 'amicable' solution to prevent further clashes

 

 

14:16

Jeremy Corbyn’s spokesman has said the Labour leader’s previous caution about the accuracy of UK intelligence in relation to the Salisbury poisoning was “more about the political use of intelligence rather than intelligence itself”.

He said that during the build-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, it was politicians’ use of intelligence that was problematic.

The spokesman said the Russian government has made “wild” and “contradictory” statements about the Salisbury attack, saying the evidence suggests “direct Russian responsibility and culpability”.

14:16

Here's our full story on news that two Russian nationals have been named as suspects in the attack on the Skripals:

 

Two Russian citizens named as novichok nerve agent attack suspects

'Clearly this was assassination attempt carried out by people involved in this tradecraft,' says counterterror chief

 

 

13:56

Downing Street sources have confirmed that the results of the Boundary Review are likely to be published on Monday.

Next

---

The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.

Sign our petition here