Afternoon summary
- Ministers will have to introduce separate legislation to set out new immigration and customs systems after the UK leaves the European Union, David Davis has said after publishing the government’s Brexit white paper. Here is my colleague Dan Roberts’ analysis of the document.
That’s all from me for today.
Thanks for the comments.
Updated
Open Britain identifies 16 problems with Brexit white paper
And Open Britain, which is campaigning for a “soft” Brexit, with Britain remaining in the single market (which Theresa May has ruled out) has sent out a briefing note identifying 16 problems with the white paper. Here is their list.
1 - There is still no meaningful parliamentary vote at the end of the article 50 process – amendments in committee stage are more important than ever.
2 - The government is aiming to cherry pick sectors within the single market and replicate existing arrangements, but this is a damaging approach our European partners will reject.
3 - Leaving the EU single market puts our access to key sectors at risk.
4 - The government have provided no detail on immigration policy, despite this driving our economic policy, and there is no mention of tens of thousands migration target.
5 - Migration policy is based on myths: the government must provide evidence to back up their claims.
6 - Pursuing a ‘comprehensive free trade agreement’ will not deliver the “exact same benefits” as being in the single market and customs union.
7 - The UK is leaving the customs union and will businesses will face increased costs as a result.
8 - Warm words on workers’ rights are not strong enough.
9 - UK will still make payments to the EU and there will be no £350m a week for the NHS.
10 - The government champions open trade but undermines its own strategy by relying on the false promise of new markets.
11 - There is no detail on transitional arrangements.
12 - Questions remain over a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
13 - Despite the prime minister’s overheated rhetoric, the white paper makes clear that the UK is and has always been a sovereign country while a member of the EU.
14 - Government is planning contingency over WTO scenario, raising questions over ‘no deal’ strategy
15 - Funding blackhole
The government only promises to honour funding for projects signed after the autumn statement 2016 “if they provide strong value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities”. This means billions of pounds in funding could be denied to beneficiaries from the following funds (which are not covered by HMG guarantees): the European Regional Development Fund; the European Social Fund; the Youth Employment Initiative; the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development; the European Maritime & Fisheries Fund; the European Regional Development Fund (CAP Pillar 2).
16 - Secondary legislation could lead to a power grab by ministers
Lib Dems identify five 'black holes' in Brexit white paper
The Lib Dems have sent out a briefing note identifying five “black holes” in the government’s Brexit white paper. This is what they say about them.
1 - Single market: The paper states it will aim to ensure the current “common frameworks” that enable UK businesses to trade freely with the EU will continue after Brexit. But the only way to do that is to adopt all new EU regulations as well as those which already exist, and to have a way of enforcing the rules on both sides on a continuing basis. That’s what the EU court of justice currently does. What, if anything, is going to replace the ECJ and how will this be reconciled with Theresa May’s vow to end the ECJ’s influence in the UK?
2 - Customs union: The paper calls for a new customs arrangement with the EU that allows the UK to sign trade deals with other countries while keeping trade between the UK and the EU as “frictionless” as possible. This is at odds with trade minister Lord Price telling the German newspaper Die Welt that “there will be no cherry-picking” on the customs union.
3 - Cooperation against crime: The paper fails to address how the UK will keep vital cooperation against crime, including the European arrest warrant and access to crime databases, which require accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. The paper also fails to confirm whether the UK will seek to remain part of Europol, the EU’s crime-fighting agency.
4 -Free movement and Erasmus: There is no mention in the paper of safeguarding the rights of Britons to live and travel on the continent post-Brexit. It also fails to make any mention of maintaining the Erasmus student exchange scheme that has benefitted over 200,000 UK students since it was set up.
5 - Northern Ireland border: The paper fails to address how the government will keep the soft border in place between Northern Ireland and Ireland after Brexit. No concrete solution is proposed, instead the government says it will aim to “minimise frictions and administrative burdens,” implying there could be a return to checks at the border.
And here is the SNP’s Europe spokesman, Stephen Gethins, on the Brexit white paper. He said:
The white paper underlines the ‘boorach’ at the heart of government - it is nothing more than a laminated copy of Theresa May’s Lancaster House speech that offers no detail on the key issues seven months on from the EU referendum.
By comparison, the SNP Scottish government published their paper on the EU referendum outlining how Scotland can retain its place in Europe before Christmas.
The white paper gives no guarantee on even devolved powers coming back to the Scottish parliament; it offers no clarity on the status of EU nationals; no clarity on seeking agreement with the joint ministerial committee and nothing on the ‘bad deal or no deal’ reset clause.
Labour says Brexit white paper is a 'wish list, not an action plan'
Here’s the statement that Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, has put out about the Brexit white paper.
Today’s white paper is indicative of the government’s whole approach to Brexit.
For months they have refused to publish a plan or allow proper scrutiny, and when they are finally forced to produce a White Paper it is rushed, limited and not well thought through.
The white paper offers no certainty for EU citizens living in the UK, no additional detail on how workers’ and consumer rights will be protected, and nothing on how full tariff-free access to the single market will be delivered.
It’s a wish list, not an action plan.
Labour has said throughout that there needs to be accountability and scrutiny throughout the Brexit process.
Next week we will debate amendments to the article 50 bill that would achieve that - in particular by guaranteeing a meaningful vote that ensures our parliament votes on the article 50 deal before the European parliament does. The government should welcome that, not reject it.
The Press Association has spoken to two political experts about John McDonnell’s argument that shadow cabinet ministers have to resign if they defy the whip but that this rule does not necessarily apply to other frontbenchers. (See 9.22am.)
This is from Prof Philip Cowley, of Queen Mary University of London, a specialist in parliamentary revolts.
It is fairly common to have a payroll vote where the payroll is whipped but backbenchers are allowed to vote as they like. I’m not aware of a ‘top-of-the-payroll vote’ before in which the line applies just to the cabinet but not to other people. Collective responsibility normally applies to everybody in the government or the shadow government ...
If whips and members of the shadow cabinet are allowed to rebel on a three-line whip, it becomes very difficult to instil any discipline down the line.
And this is from Akash Paun, a fellow at the Institute for Government.
It is certainly not something that I have come across before and it does strike me as odd. The opposition would normally seek to be as disciplined as the government. Having shadow cabinet members voting against each other on all sorts of issues is hardly a sign that you are ready to take over the government of the country.
The Daily Mirror’s Kevin Maguire has tweeted this about Diane Abbott and article 50.
Brexit flu convenient after Diane Abbott's Hackney North local Labour Party came within 2 votes of demanding she vote against Article 50!
— Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) February 2, 2017
I posted the wrong link for Stephen Bush’s Diane Abbott profile at 3.26pm. I’ve put the right one there now, but you may need to refresh the page to get it to show up.
In his BBC News interview the Labour MP John Mann also said that the shadow ministers and whips who defied orders and voted against the article bill should not be allowed to remain on the front bench. They should resign, or be sacked, he argued.
Jeremy Corbyn had called this right. Labour MPs, particularly those who have accepted jobs from him, like Diane Abbott and others, if they are not prepared to vote the way that Jeremy has told them to vote, then they shouldn’t be on the front bench. That’s what leadership is about. That’s what party discipline is about.
If you want to oppose, as Jeremy did many times in 30 years, opposed Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and Labour policies in power ... do so, but don’t try and keep your front bench positions at the same time. So I do hope that Diane Abbott will reflect on that. You can’t have it both ways in politics. The voters don’t like it when politicians and parties try to have it both ways.
So I congratulate Jeremy Corbyn for enforcing a whip on Labour MPs. And now he should take action to show that he means business when he enforces a three-line whip.
Since it is open season on Diane Abbott today, it is worth recommending this recent profile of her by Stephen Bush for the New Statesman which presents the case for Abbott very well.
Updated
John Mann claims Abbott 'bottled' article 50 vote and accuses her of 'cowardice'
The Labour MP John Mann has accused Diane Abbott of “cowardice” and said she should apologise for missing the vote on the article 50 bill last night. In an interview with BBC News just now Mann made it clear that he did not accept her claim that she missed the vote because she was sick. She “bottled” the vote, he said.
It is quite extraordinary. We have some very, very ill people who have turned up to parliament to vote yesterday who are so sick they’ve not been able to carry on their work as MPs. made it there and they voted. She gave herself a sick note at 5 o’clock. I think we all know what is going on here. She bottled the vote. It’s cowardice.
People voted in different ways. One can argue whether they are right, they’re wrong. But you don’t abstain on the big votes. And it’s embarrassing to see that. She ought to be giving an apology to the Labour party for doing so. That is not leadership, that’s cowardice. She’s called it very, very badly ...
[Other MPs] the courage to vote the way they saw and thought was right, and can be accountable for that, for better or for worse. Hiding away from big votes is not the way we should be doing things. And she should have been in with me and Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell in voting the Labour line. She wasn’t, and that’s not very clever.
A spokeswoman for Abbott declined to comment on Mann’s allegations
Here is Rajeev Syal’s story from earlier about Abbott missing the vote.
When David Davis, the Brexit secretary, was taking questions in the Commons on the white paper he suggested that Britain would withdraw from the Prum convention, an anti-crime, data-sharing arrangement.
The Tory MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan asked if Davis would confirm that the UK would be “coming out of the Prum framework as it is now and building a new relationship for data-sharing to fight against crime and terrorism which ensures my constituents’ most personal data is no longer subject to the ECJ”.
Davis replied:
Almost by definition, because we are coming out of the union that will happen, but that’s not to say that we will not be making new arrangements.
The Prum framework for people is a data exchange, it covers things like DNA and so on.
We will be making new arrangements with very, very clear in our mind keeping terrorism, crime and so on under control.
But we will no doubt protect them from the ECJ.
There is a chart of page 32 of the report that suggests that people in the UK are entitled to 14 weeks of annual holiday.
Sadly, this is not a revelation about the nirvana that awaits us after Brexit. It’s a mistake, Brexit department sources are admitting. They think the second and third charts on the graph have been muddled up.
Here is my colleague Jon Henley’s summary of the white paper.
What the white paper says about leaving the customs union
In her Lancaster House speech Theresa May said that the UK would not remain a full member of the customs union, but that she wanted the UK to have a customs agreement with the EU and that this might involve some aspects of CU membership. She did not really elaborate.
The white paper says much the same. Here are paragraphs 8.45 and 8.46.
In leaving the EU, the UK will seek a new customs arrangement with the EU, which enables us to make the most of the opportunities from trade with others and for trade between the UK and the EU to continue to be as frictionless as possible. There are a number of options for any new customs arrangement, including a completely new agreement, or for the UK to remain a signatory to some of the elements of the existing arrangements. The precise form of this new agreement will be the subject of negotiation.
It is in the interests of both the UK and the EU to have a mutually beneficial customs arrangement to ensure goods trade between the UK and EU can continue as much as possible as it does now. This will form a key part of our ambition for a new strategic partnership with the EU.
One argument against leaving the customs union is that, if Britain then trades with the EU on the basis of a trade deal, exporters will have to fill in “rules of origin” documentation saying what proportion of their goods originate from another country.
The white paper addresses this concern in part by arguing that new technology allows customs checks to be carried out very efficiently. This is paragraph 8.44.
The UK is currently a member of the EU’s customs union. As we look to build our future customs relationship with the EU and the rest of the world, we start from a strong position. As a large trading nation, we possess a world-class customs system which handles imports and exports from all over the world. We already have highly efficient processes for freight arriving from the rest of the world – the vast majority of customs declarations in the UK are submitted electronically and are cleared rapidly. Only a small proportion cannot go through so rapidly, for instance where risk assessment indicates that compliance and enforcement checks are required at the border. The World Bank’s logistics performance index shows that HMRC operates one of the world’s most efficient customs regimes.
What the white paper says about no deal being better than a bad deal
And this is what the white paper says in paragraph 12.3, about no deal being better than a bad deal. (My bold type.)
We are confident that the UK and the EU can reach a positive deal on our future partnership, as this would be to the mutual benefit of both the UK and the EU, and we will approach the negotiations in this spirit. However, the Government is clear that no deal for the UK is better than a bad deal for the UK. In any eventuality we will ensure that our economic and other functions can continue, including by passing legislation as necessary to mitigate the effects of failing to reach a deal.
In her Lancaster House speech Theresa May also said that no deal would be better than a bad deal. She said that, if the EU refused to be cooperated, the UK may retaliate by changing “the basis of Britain’s economic model” but she did not elaborate on what this might mean. The white paper suggests the government may prepare precautionary legislation. It does not say what this legislation might involve, but the Financial Times recently published a good article (subcription) looking in detail at what May’s plan B might involve.
What the white paper says about transitional deal
This is what the white paper says, in paragraph 12.2, about a transitional agreement.
It is, however, in no one’s interests for there to be a cliff-edge for business or a threat to stability, as we change from our existing relationship to a new partnership with the EU. Instead, we want to have reached an agreement about our future partnership by the time the two year Article 50 process has concluded. From that point onwards, we believe a phased process of implementation, in which the UK, the EU institutions and Member States prepare for the new arrangements that will exist between us, will be in our mutual interest. This will give businesses enough time to plan and prepare for those new arrangements. This might be about our immigration controls, customs systems or the way in which we cooperate on criminal and civil justice matters. Or it might be about the future legal and regulatory framework for business. For each issue, the time we need to phase in the new arrangements may differ; some might be introduced very quickly, some might take longer. And the interim arrangements we rely upon are likely to be a matter of negotiation. The UK will not, however, seek some form of unlimited transitional status. That would not be good for the UK and nor would it be good for the EU.
This just expands on what Theresa May said on this subject in her Lancaster House speech last month.
What the white paper says about immigration
The section on immigration in the white paper is not long. But there are some points worth noting. Here are the key paragraphs (5.9 and 5.10.)
We are considering very carefully the options that are open to us to gain control of the numbers of people coming to the UK from the EU. As part of that, it is important that we understand the impacts on the different sectors of the economy and the labour market. We will, therefore, ensure that businesses and communities have the opportunity to contribute their views. Equally, we will need to understand the potential impacts of any proposed changes in all the parts of the UK. So we will build a comprehensive picture of the needs and interests of all parts of the UK and look to develop a system that works for all.
Implementing any new immigration arrangements for EU nationals and the support they receive will be complex and Parliament will have an important role in considering these matters further. There may be a phased process of implementation to prepare for the new arrangements. This would give businesses and individuals enough time to plan and prepare for those new arrangements.
- MPs will get to vote on new immigration rules, the white paper says.
- New immigration rules will be phased in.
Reading the whole chapter, it is also significant that the white paper does not say whether or not EU workers will continue to get some form of preferential access to the UK. But it says that, in the short term, EU students are being protected.
We have already confirmed that existing EU students and those starting courses in 2016-17 and 2017-18 will continue to be eligible for student loans and home fee status for the duration of their course. We have also confirmed that research councils will continue to fund postgraduate students from the EU whose courses start in 2017-18.
What the white paper says about border with Ireland
The white paper restates the government’s desire to keep an open border with Ireland. But it does not give a firm commitment on this. Note the word “aim” in paragraph 4.4.
We recognise that for the people of Northern Ireland and Ireland, the ability to move freely across the border is an essential part of daily life. When the UK leaves the EU we aim to have as seamless and frictionless a border as possible between Northern Ireland and Ireland, so that we can continue to see the trade and everyday movements we have seen up to now.
As my colleague Lisa O’Carroll reported yesterday, some experts think this will be impossible.
Updated
What the white paper says on devolution
The white paper says the government wants to ensure that “power sits closer to the people of the UK than ever before” after Brexit. This implies that the Scottish parliament, the Welsh assembly and the Northern Ireland assembly will get control over powers currently exercised by Brussels (like agriculture), but the white paper is not specific about exactly what powers will go where. These are paragraphs 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5.
The current devolution settlements were created in the context of the UK’s membership of the EU. All three settlements set out that devolved legislatures only have legislative competence – the ability to make law – in devolved policy areas as long as that law is compatible with EU law.
This has meant that, even in areas where the devolved legislatures and administrations currently have some competence, such as agriculture, environment and some transport issues, most rules are set through common EU legal and regulatory frameworks, devised and agreed in Brussels. When the UK leaves the EU, these rules will be set here in the UK by democratically elected representatives.
As the powers to make these rules are repatriated to the UK from the EU, we have an opportunity to determine the level best placed to make new laws and policies on these issues, ensuring power sits closer to the people of the UK than ever before. We have already committed that no decisions currently taken by the devolved administrations will be removed from them and we will use the opportunity of bringing decision making back to the UK to ensure that more decisions are devolved.
The white paper does not say anything specific about the government’s response to the SNP’s plan to keep Scotland in the single market while the rest of the UK leaves.
But there is a large box in the white paper summarising the Scottish government’s proposals.
What the white paper says about EU nationals living in the UK
This is what it says about guaranteeing the rights of EU nationals living in the UK. These are paragraphs 6.3 and 6.4. They do not go beyond what Theresa May has already said.
Securing the status of, and providing certainty to, EU nationals already in the UK and to UK nationals in the EU is one of this Government’s early priorities for the forthcoming negotiations. To this end, we have engaged a range of stakeholders, including expatriate groups, to ensure we understand the priorities of UK nationals living in EU countries. This is part of our preparations for a smooth and orderly withdrawal and we will continue to work closely with a range of organisations and individuals to achieve this. For example, we recognise the priority placed on easy access to healthcare by UK nationals living in the EU. We are also engaging closely with EU Member States, businesses and other organisations to ensure that we have a thorough understanding of issues concerning the status of EU nationals in the UK.
The Government would have liked to resolve this issue ahead of the formal negotiations. And although many EU Member States favour such an agreement, this has not proven possible. The UK remains ready to give people the certainty they want and reach a reciprocal deal with our European partners at the earliest opportunity. It is the right and fair thing to do.
This chart goes with this section.
What the white paper says on MPs getting a vote
This is what the white paper says about parliament having a vote on the final deal.
The government will then put the final deal that is agreed between the UK and the EU to a vote in both Houses of Parliament.
In the Commons Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, singled out this paragraph (1.12) and said it was unsatisfactory. Labour wanted a meaningful vote, he said. And it wanted MPs to have a vote on the deal before MEPs. He said it would be wrong if MPs had to watch MEPs vote on the deal before them.
In his reply, Davis said he did not know what Labour meant by a “meaningful vote”. He said in all his time in the Commons he had not come across a vote that was not meaningful.
Updated
Here is what it looks like.
Here is the Brexit department’s press statement on the white paper.
And here is the 77-page document (pdf).
Davis says the government will continue to seek to build a national consensus around its plans.
It will continue to analyse the impact of Brexit on different parts of the economy.
He concludes saying the white paper is now available on the government’s website.
Davis says the white paper will make it clear that there will be separate legislation on immigration and customs.
It says the time needed to phase in new arrangements may vary in different areas, he says.
Davis says government will publish plans for great repeal bill in a white paper
Davis says the government will publish another white paper ahead of the great repeal bill.
Updated
Davis says the UK cannot sign new trade deals while still in the EU. But it can prepare the ground for them.
He says trade deals require dispute resolution mechanisms.
He says the white paper will look at the precedents for this.
Davis says there are some particular themes in the white paper.
First, the UK wants the EU to succeed. That cannot be emphasised too much, he says.
(That seems to be a response to President Trump, and his ambivalence about whether or not the EU survives.)
Davis says Theresa May set out the 12 principles that the government will follow when implementing Brexit in her recent Lancaster House speech.
David Davis publishes Brexit white paper
David Davis, the Brexit secretary, is making his Commons statement about the Brexit white paper.
He says the paper will be released today.
(It is due to be released when Davis has finished speaking.)
Bank of England raises growth forecast for 2017 from 1.4% to 2%
The Bank of England has published its quarterly inflation report. And it has revised upwards its growth forecast for next quite significantly.
This is from my colleague Graeme Wearden on his business live blog.
The Bank of England has also raised its growth forecasts for the UK economy over the next two years.
It now expects GDP to rise by 2% this year, sharply higher than 1.4% previously expected.
The forecast for 2018 has also been pushed up, from 1.5% to 1.6%.
That means it no longer expects a sharp slowdown due to the Brexit vote....
And there is more on his blog.
Here is my colleague John Harris’s latest Anywhere but Westminster video. He has been speaking to EU migrants in East Anglia about what Brexit will mean.
May to meet Netanyahu on Monday
Theresa May is to meet the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, the prime minister’s spokeswoman announced at the morning lobby briefing.
Netanyahu is expected to be there for a late morning meeting and a working lunch. No news yet on whether there will be a press conference.
It will be the first time the two have met, though they did speak by phone in August.
It would be, May’s spokeswoman said, he “an opportunity to address a wide range of issues”, including the issue of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.
Much of the talk would be about general bilateral ties and trade, May’s spokeswoman said.
Of course, alongside that they are going to want to talk about a range of security and international issues, including the Middle East process.
And yes, I would expect the prime minister to set out the government’s position that we think that the continued increases in settlement activity undermines trust. Our focus is on how do we make work a two-state solution with an Israel that is safe from terrorism and a Palestinian state that is viable and sovereign.
Leave.EU claims its poll shows Ukip on course to win Stoke byelection
On the night of the EU referendum Leave.EU, the pro-leave campaign funded by Arron Banks, released a poll. It hardly received any attention, partly because Leave.EU did not reveal anything about their methodology (they are not a member of the British Polling Council), partly because, coming from a campaigning outfit, people assumed it must be tainted, and partly because YouGov, a respected polling organisation, released another poll saying the opposite. But the Leave.EU one said leave was going to win by 52% to 48%, which turned out to be spot on.
Now Leave.EU, which backs Ukip, has released a new poll, covering the state of the parties in England and Wales and voting intention in the Stoke-on-Trent Central byelection. Here are the figures.
Stoke byelection
Ukip: 39%
Labour: 33%
Conservatives: 11%
Lib Dems: 10%
England and Wales
Conservatives: 37%
Labour: 26%
Lib Dems: 16%
Ukip: 12%
Leave.EU used social media campaigning during the referendum to acquire a vast database and its polling is based on mining this data. In its news release it says that its polling method uses a “high-volume randomised sample”, and that more than 4,000 people were surveyed for the Stoke result, but it has not said any more about its methodology, or released tables showing the raw data, and how it was weighed, as proper polling organisations do. Will Jennings, a psephologist who sat on the British Polling Council’s inquiry into polling and the 2015 general election, thinks these latest figures are so questionable that they should not be reported, but in the light of record on 23 June I think it is worth at least noting what they are saying.
Updated
Sir Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, is in Scotland today. As my colleague Severin Carrell reports, Fallon used a newspaper interview to rule out London agreeing to let the Scottish government hold a second independence referendum before backtracking somewhat on BBC Radio Scotland.
Abbott had 'really bad migraine', says spokeswoman
A spokeswoman for Diane Abbott has dismissed suggestions that there was anything bogus about the illness last night that led to her missing the vote on article 50. (See 10.34am.) She said that Abbott had been working in parliament as usual, and had spoken in the Westminster Hall debate, but that at around 5pm she developed a “really bad migraine” and had to go home. Abbott had been intending to vote, the spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman also said that Abbott has cancelled engagements today because she is still unwell but expects to be in the Commons on Monday for the next article 50 votes.
Updated
The BBC’s Norman Smith has just dug out some video footage of Diane Abbott speaking in a debate in Westminster Hall yesterday on the government’s Prevent strategy. As Smith says, Abbott seems to have been feeling okay at that point in the afternoon.
The Westminster Hall Hansard report of the debate shows that Abbott was speaking at 3.39pm.
According to Joe Murphy in the Evening Standard, Labour has lost its overall majority on Tower Hamlets council because one of its councillors, Andrew Cregan, has defected to the Lib Dems over article 50. Cregan told the paper:
I have been passionately pro-European as long as I can remember but, after a three-line whip for Brexit, I cannot see Labour any longer as an unambiguously pro-Europe party. That is not something I can agree with. It strikes at the very essence of why I got involved in politics.
John McDonnell's Today interview - Summary
Here are the key points from John McDonnell’s interview on Today.
- McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, hinted that shadow ministers who opposed the whip and voted against the article 50 bill yesterday may keep their jobs. (See 9.22am.)
- He suggested that Labour may decide to abstain when MPs vote on the bill’s third reading. Yesterday, at second reading, Labour MPs were whipped (ie, ordered) to vote in favour of the bill. But Nick Robinson told McDonnell that Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, has said the party will review its position on the bill if it fails to get any of its amendments accepted between now and the third reading. Asked what this meant, McDonnell ruled out the party voting against the bill (by saying the party would not “oppose” article 50 going through). But he did not firmly commit the party to voting in favour again at third reading, suggesting that abstaining could be an option.
Let’s be clear; we have said we will no obstruct the passage of article 50. But what we are saying is this is just the first stage.
We will review what exactly happens on the day of the third reading. That will be decided by the shadow cabinet.
- He claimed that as the government implemented Brexit, the Tories would split and Labour would unite. And George Osborne, the Conservative former chancellor, could end up siding with Labour on some issues, he said.
Article 50 will go through. And here’s the irony; you will see the Labour party after article 50 uniting, coming together, to really tackle and oppose the government in their imposition of what we think will be a reckless Brexit. The irony of it is that I think you’ll see the Conservative party then splitting apart because, exactly as George Osborne said [in the debate yesterday], he disagrees, and a lot of others do, with the priorities that Theresa May has set, particularly their undermining of our economy ...
We are going to oppose what Theresa May is trying to inflict on this country. And we will have allies right the way across the House of Commons. And, by the sounds of it in the debate, George Osborne himself ...
- He said that Diane Abbott missed the vote yesterday because she was ill. Abbott was one of the shadow cabinet members known to be most unhappy about the decision to back article 50, and there are suspicions that her illness was convenient. Asked about her absence, McDonnell said:
She wasn’t very well. There wasn’t going to be a close vote. If there was a close vote we would be bringing even sick people back. But she wasn’t very well. She wasn’t in attendance.
When it was put to him that she had “Brexit flu”, he laughingly dismissed this, saying:
We’ve all been down with various bugs over the last few weeks.
- He claimed the Lib Dems were just as split as Labour over article 50.
It’s not just us. I know the focus on us. The Liberal Democrats yesterday have only got nine MPs, but two of them opposed their leader, so they split in exactly the proportion as us.
In one sense this is correct because 47 of the 229 Labour MPs (21%) defied the whip and voted against the bill, and two of the nine Lib Dem MPs (22%) defied the whip and did not vote for the bill. But the two Lib Dem rebels abstained, rather than voted against the bill, which is a less serious category of rebellion.
It has just been confirmed that there will be a statement in the Commons on the Brexit white paper by David Davis, the Brexit secretary. It will come at about 12.15pm. There is a statement first on airport expansion, followed by the business statement.
Presumably the white paper will be published around the time Davis starts addressing MPs.
McDonnell hints Labour's shadow minister Brexit rebels may keep their jobs
The main event today will be the publication of the government’s white paper on Brexit, although few people are expecting it to tell us anything significant about Theresa May’s plans that we did not already know. The fear is that it will be more of a blank paper than a white paper. But who knows? We’ll find out later.
In the meantime, John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has been on the Today programme talking about what last night’s Brexit vote means for Labour. As our overnight splash says, a fifth of Labour MPs defied the whip and voted against the bill giving the government the authority to trigger article 50.
The rebels included 10 shadow ministers and three whips who are still in post. Asked if they would all be sacked, McDonnell implied strongly that some or all of them would keep their jobs. He replied:
What I’m saying is that if you are in the shadow cabinet or cabinet, the normal conventions will apply, you will be expected to resign. But for other positions, the normal process is that the chief whip will then report, and they will report after the legislation is through, on the process from there on in.
So could they stay in post, he was asked. He replied:
I’m not going to pre-empt what the whip is going to recommend.
McDonnell was effectively rewriting parliamentary rules. In reality the “normal convention” at Westminster is that if a frontbencher votes against the party whip, they either resign or get sacked immediately, regardless of whether they are in the cabinet or shadow cabinet or whether they hold a more junior frontbench post. But there is some precedent for letting junior shadow ministers vote against a whip without being punished (three junior Labour frontbenchers did that in the vote on article 50 in December last year and escaped being sacked) and it is not hard to see why Jeremy Corbyn may decide that it makes sense to take a lenient approach this time. He does not want to entrench party divisions on this any further. And, besides, it was hard enough filling shadow cabinet posts the last time a lot of vacancies emerged (last summer). There are good reasons for not wanting to go through that all over again.
There were other interesting lines in the McDonnell interview. I will post them shortly.
It is not clear yet when the Brexit white paper will be published. There is only one other key event on the agenda.
12.30pm: Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, holds a press conference as the Bank publishes its quarterly inflation report.
As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to post a summary at lunchtime and another in the afternoon.
You can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.
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I try to monitor the comments BTL but normally I find it 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 direct questions, although sometimes I miss them or don’t have time. Alternatively you could post a question to me on Twitter.
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