Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Alexandra Topping (now), Ben Quinn (earlier)

Brexit: McDonnell says remain would be on ballot in a second referendum - Politics live

John McDonnell.
John McDonnell. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Summary

Tusk: EU prepared for no deal or no Brexit

The European council president has said the UK is prepared to either cancel Brexit or to depart with no deal if MPs vote down the settlement secured by Theresa May with Brussels, report Jessica Elgot and Jennifer Rankin.

Speaking at the G20 summit in Argentina, Donald Tusk said there was no other deal on offer and the only options were to remain in the EU or leave with no deal.

“The European Union has just agreed an orderly divorce with the United Kingdom,” he said. “A few days before the vote in the House of Commons it is becoming more and more clear that this deal is the best possible, in fact the only possible one.

“If this deal is rejected in the Commons, we are left with, as was already stressed a few weeks ago by prime minister May, an alternative. No deal or no Brexit at all. I want to reassure you that the EU is prepared for every scenario.”

Labour's Ian Austin says party should support Theresa May's Brexit deal

Labour should think again about its opposition to Theresa May’s Brexit deal, says the MP Ian Austin, reports my colleague Jess Elgot.

Austin, a former parliamentary aide to Gordon Brown, represents the marginal seat of Dudley North in the West Midlands, which registered the highest vote to leave of all English regions.

Writing for the Guardian, he said that it was easy to see why his colleagues opposed May’s deal but said they should think “long and hard”.

“The leadership are against the deal, most members hate it, and MPs are being inundated with emails from both hardline Brexiteers and passionate remainers urging them to vote it down,” he said.

“The strength of the Tory response has made it even more difficult. Why take a risk? But we should still think long and hard.”

Everyone loves an infographic, even the House of Commons. Need help understanding how the next stage of the Brexit process will work? This might help.

McDonnell: remain would be on ballot in a second referendum

John McDonnell has said if there was a second referendum then remaining in the EU would be one of the options, PA reports.

Speaking to TalkRADIO, Labour’s shadow chancellor was asked if Theresa May’s deal is voted down, and it leads to another public ballot, should there be an option to “throw the whole thing out” and stop Brexit altogether.

He said:

The ballot paper will be determined by Parliament. It’s difficult to see Parliament deciding if there is to be a choice that they wouldn’t have at least some sort of Remain option on there. But it will be determined by Parliament if we get to that state.

Scottish Tories wooed by Gove

My colleague Libby Brooks reports:

While David Lidington’s proffered concession on the Northern Irish backstop was swiftly dismissed by the DUP, Scottish Conservatives appear to be a more receptive audience. While any “unionist concession” tends to be viewed in the context of appeasing the DUP, let’s not forget that Theresa May also has a baker’s dozen of Scottish MPs to persuade that her Brexit deal does not pose a threat to the future of the United Kingdom. After all, Lidington did make his remarks during an evidence session in the Scottish parliament.

Certainly the Holyrood Tory MSP group is said to be “very reassured” by his remarks, which they believe take the wind out the sails of any nationalist arguments about similar special deals for Scotland, and the need for independence when those are not forthcoming.

Whether his comments landed so successfully with the Scottish Conservative group at Westminster is less clear: it appears the group remains split, and not down traditional hard/soft Brexit lines either. The future of fishing rights remains a significant concern, though not always for self-interested constituency reasons, given that Banff and Buchan’s David Duiguid – arguably with the fishiest constituency of all – has been doing the media rounds defending May’s deal this week.

Michael Gove has been tasked with speaking privately to doubters over the weekend: he is believed to have credibility with the group as a Scot who understands the intricacies of the constitutional debate, and knows about fishing rights too.

And there are others who think that the “union threat” - first raised in the resignation letters of Dominic Raab and Esther McVey – gained legs before many people had even had time to read the agreement properly, and served only as a convenient excuse to disagree with the deal for those who were already minded to.

Donald Tusk: 'This is the best deal possible'

He’s said it before, and he’ll say it again...

Updated

Bradley: Brexit puts Northern Ireland in "unrivalled" global position

PA reporting that the secretary of state for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley says Brexit could put the country in a “unrivalled” global position.

The draft Brexit deal would place Northern Ireland in an “unrivalled” global position to attract future foreign investment, the Secretary of State has claimed.

Addressing business representatives in Co Down, Karen Bradley said that while the agreement on the table could deliver an economic boon for the region she warned that a no deal would threaten jobs and create more division in society.

Mrs Bradley visited Newtownards and Bangor on Friday as part of her ongoing drive to garner support for the proposed withdrawal treaty.

After a walkabout around a number of shops in Ards, Mrs Bradley answered questions from local traders and business owners at the Signal Centre in Bangor.

Outlining her view of the deal’s potential benefits for the UK, she said: “We will be able to strike free trade deals around the world and let me just put this in context for Northern Ireland.

“Northern Ireland with a land border to the EU and trade with the EU but being able to access free trade deals around the world puts Northern Ireland in an unrivalled position in the world as a destination for foreign direct investment and that is what I want to see for Northern Ireland.”

She added: “If we reject this deal we will go back to square one. That would mean in particular for Northern Ireland damaging uncertainty, threatening jobs, investment in the economy, more division and less time to focus on issues that matter at home like the NHS, our schools, our infrastructure, the things that matter, the things that you raise with me, the things that matter to small and medium sized businesses across Northern Ireland.”

One of the stores that Mrs Bradley visited in Newtownards was Wardens department store. Jane Campbell, whose family runs the store, said businesses wanted certainty on Brexit.

“It’s really good to show visitors and the Secretary of State around Newtownards to show her retailers and how vibrant the retail sector is here in Newtownards and to show what we can offer,” she said.

“I think with all businesses, consumer confidence is really important and certainty will help with consumer confidence and therefore certainty over Brexit is helpful to business.”

Save the Children: PM must speak up for Yemeni children

Before the PM’s meeting with MBS, a Save the Children spokesperson has said:

The Prime Minister has a unique opportunity to speak on behalf of Yemeni children as she meets the Saudi Crown Prince Mohamad Bin Salman on the side lines of the G20 summit in Argentina. Ending the brutal war in Yemen must be a top priority as the two allies talk in Buenos Aires.

With peace talks in Sweden planned for early December, Save the Children is concerned about reports that a UK-led UN Security Council resolution has stalled due to Saudi and Emirati pressure. Britain and the Security Council must stand firm in the face of opposition and act now to pass a resolution that calls on all parties in Yemen to stop the fighting immediately. 85,000 children may have already died from starvation in what’s become the world’s worst humanitarian disaster, and it’s entirely man-made.

May says she will discuss killing of Jamal Khashoggi with Saudi crown prince

Speaking to Sky News in Buenos Aires Theresa May has confirmed that she will “robust” with the the crown prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman.

She said:

First of all the terrible killing of Jamal Khashoggi and the message I will be giving and the message we have given from the UK from the time it happened is that the Saudi Arabians need to ensure that their investigation is a full investigation, that it is credible, that it is transparent. But I will also be raising the situation in the Yemen where the humanitarian crisis is getting worse, we are very concerned about that, we are a major donor to the Yemen.

Moving, inevitably, to Brexit, she was asked how Britain could do trade deals wtih a “backstop” arrangement, May said Britain would not be in a customs union and, in any case, it was just an insurance policy.

The political declaration, a crucial part of the deal we have negotiated with the European Union, is clear that we will have an independent trade policy, we will be able to do trade deals around the rest of the world. We have already been talking to a number of countries represented here at the g20 and I will be carrying on doing that with individuals, about the prospects for the UK doing these trade deals with them.

Asked if she should be more candid with the British public about the inconveniences they are likely to face on leaving Brexit - such as the loss of the Ehic health card or potential charges, she said one of the reasons people had voted to leave was to stop free movement of people.

We have in the political declaration for the future relationship with the European Union, specifically in there it does reference the fact that we will be looking at issues like the European health insurance card. We will be looking to ensure that we can continue to have good arrangements for UK citizens, but people voted to leave the EU.

May continues the hard sell of her EU deal

The Prime Minister has been interviewed by BBC and has repeated her arguments about her deal being the best - and only - post Brexit deal.

Fittingly the interview, carried out in Argentina where the PM is at a meeting of the G20, is accompanied by the chattering of wild animals ...

She wouldn’t be drawn on the likelihood of the deal being voted down in parliament. Asked what her chances of winning the vote were, she said:

I’m focusing on the clear message that I’ll be giving to MPs. First of all I think when MPs come to look at this vote, they should recognise that we have negotiated a good deal. The EU has been very clear that this is the deal that is on the table, this is the deal. It’s a good deal for the UK, it delivers on the vote of the referendum, but it protects people’s jobs and security.

And for a MP I think there is that issue of making sure we deliver Brexit - that’s what people asked us to do - but also do it in a way that protects jobs and livelihoods.

Asked about rebels in her own party she said:

Obviously we’re talking to colleagues about this vote. But I think when it comes to the vote that people are being asked to make in the House of Commons, I think we should remember that we gave the vote to the British people as to whether or not to leave the EU. People voted for Brexit and I think it’s up to us to deliver Brexit.

The message I get from members of the public is that they want the Government to do that, they want us to deliver Brexit and we want to do it in a way that protects people’s jobs. I think it’s that interest in constituents that MPs need tohave in their minds too when they come to vote.

Asked if she would stand down if her vote vote falls, she said:

What I’m doing is focusing on that vote because this is not about me or any individual Member of Parliament. What I think the public want to know is that every MP is going to put the national interest first, is going to put the interests of their constituents at the forefront of their thinking and is going to put the importance of delivering on the Brexit vote for the British people at the forefront of their thinking too when they come to that vote.

This is the moment when we can vote and show people that we understood they want us to leave the EU, the deal that is on the table - the deal - does that in a way that honours that referendum vote but also protects people’s jobs, protects people’s futures and ensures that we are able to take the opportunities of that bright future outside the EU.

And asked about being ousted:

It’s not about me. This is about what is in the national interest. It’s about delivering the vote to leave the EU and doing it in a way that protects people’s jobs and livelihoods and protects our security and our United Kingdom.

And asked about plan B, she said:

I’m focusing on that vote on December 11. This is an important moment for our country. It’s a moment when MPs have the opportunity to deliver on the Brexit vote for the British people and to do it in a way that protects their constituents’ jobs and livelihoods and enables us to open up the opportunities for that brighter future that there are for the UK outside the European Union.

And asked if she would be telling President Trump that he is wrong and a trade deal with the US is possible, she said:

One of the things I’m going to be talking about here at the G20 is this whole issue of trade around the world. I’m very happy to tell President Trump and others that we will have an independent trade policy, because we will have an independent trade policy, we will be able to do trade deals. It is expressly referenced in the deal that we have negotiated with the EU. It says we will be able to do those trade deals, and we will be able to do them with the US and others.

Scottish government responds to backstop comments

The Scottish government has responded to David Lidington’s comments about the Northern Irish backstop which, as we reported yesterday, appeared to offer a concession to unionists anxious about the future of the UK – and in particular about the SBP using the “special deal” for Northern Ireland to boost support for independence.

Speaking at the Holyrood parliament on Thursday, May’s de facto deputy insisted regulations in the rest of the UK would not be allowed to diverge from those in Northern Ireland. One would assume that such an alignment would terminate Scottish government complaints about other areas of the UK being treated differently, but no.

Responding today, the Scottish government’s Brexit secretary Michael Russell said:

“The Scottish Government fully and unconditionally supports the Good Friday Agreement and the maintenance of an open border on the island of Ireland. However, it is clear from the UK Government’s proposals for Northern Ireland that differentiated outcomes are possible within the UK, which simply underlines the case for Scotland, which voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, to be treated similarly.”

Macron and Abe set to meet to to discuss Renault-Nissan at G20

Reuters are reporting that French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Japan’s prime minister Shinzō Abe today to discuss the Renault-Nissan alliance’s future.

Until now it’s been unclear if the paid would meet, but it has been confirmed that the pair will discuss how “to defuse a brewing diplomatic row over the balance of power inside the partnership”.

An official in the French presidency said Macron would discuss the alliance with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at midday in Buenos Aires, but gave no further details, Reuters reported.

Some comment on that meeting from the Guardian’s diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour:

Theresa May is due to meet with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman later today, the Sun’s Deputy Political Editor reports.

As reported earlier, May said en route to the G20 summit that she plans to raise the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and the situation in Yemen with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The prime minister told reporters before touching down in Buenos Aires:

I am intending to speak with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. The message that I give will be very clear ... on this issue of Jamal Khashoggi but also on the issue of Yemen.

Northern Ireland will be allowed to operate just 60 lorries in the Republic of Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit, threatening disaster for businesses on both sides of the Irish border.

In a no-deal scenario, all commercial drivers in the UK would be reclassified as third-country operators requiring special permits to operate in the EU.

This spells chaos for the Dover-Calais route, which 11,000 trucks cross each day, and has special consequences in Ireland, where 13,000 cross-border journeys are made daily, transporting everything from bread to Guinness to cement.

The Department for Transport told the Freight Transport Association (FTA) this week that only 984 annual European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) permits would be issued for 2019.

It has warned hauliers that if the UK leaves the EU with no deal then they may need these permits to transport goods within the EU or EEA, but the Department for Infrastructure in Belfast has said just 60 permits will be issued in Northern Ireland.

A lorry passes a sign on a main road outside Newry, Northern Ireland, on November 14, 2018.
A lorry passes a sign on a main road outside Newry, Northern Ireland, on November 14, 2018. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Support for Theresa May’s Brexit deal has risen, but only slowly, the latest YouGov polling also finds.

Some 27% of Brits now support the deal (up 12 on two weeks ago), but 45% still oppose the deal. The polling company also breaks down support and opposition on a party-aligned basis.

European Union officials have dismissed Theresa May’s suggestion that extending Brexit talks could result in renegotiating the deal, as Brussels awaits the next twist in the British political drama.

EU officials were perplexed by the prime minister’s comments to the House of Commons liaison committee on Thursday that extending article 50 would mean “you are then on the business of renegotiating the deal”.

Although May went on to say that the current deal was the only one on offer, her remarks raised eyebrows in Brussels.

One view is that the prime minister is scaremongering in the hope of getting her MPs to walk through the yes lobby, when parliament votes on the deal on 11 December. The EU regards the 585-page withdrawal treaty, painstakingly negotiated over 17 months, as a closed book.

Officials say only the date of entry into force – 30 March 2019 – would be changed if article 50 was extended, and not a comma more.

Updated

At the grand old age of 49, Jacob Rees-Mogg is going to get his own biography, Channel 4’s Michael Crick reports.

Crick has since tweeted that Rees-Mogg told him: “In some part flattered but mainly surprised that the life of a backbench MP could be sufficiently interesting. It is not an idea that I would or have encouraged.”

Newly published polling from Yougov - which has tended to show the party in the lead recently - gives the Tories a slightly bigger lead than recent polls.

When it comes to the questin of who would make the best Prime Minister, this week’s YouGov poll shows 36% of people prefer Theresa May while 23% favour Jeremy Corbyn. A further 38% answered “not sure.

Updated

The Welsh Labour MP Jo Stevens has had a go at Liam Fox’s comments in support of Theresa May’s Brexit deal, questioning his record as International Trade Secretary.

“For the past two years, Liam Fox has promised Brexit would be Britain’s ticket to the land of milk and honey,” she said in a statement put out by the pro-remain campaign, Best for Britain.

“But he’s not secured a single trade deal and is now urging the public to support a deal even he says he’s not enthusiastic about. Enough is enough. Two Brexit Secretaries who negotiated for us have resigned and don’t back the deal and now the trade secretary isn’t happy with it either. This is a bad deal and the people deserve a final say on it with the option to retain our membership of the EU.”

On another front meanwhile:

Some fresh meat for Jacob Rees-Mogg now perhaps... The Bank of England’s governor, Mark Carney threw a summer party for his staff costing nearly £100,000 complete with a bake-off and fun run, it has emerged.

A Freedom of Information request by the Press Association revealed that the Governors’ Day event saw the Bank spend more than £58,000, excluding VAT, on food and drink alone at the annual shindig held in July at its sports ground in Roehampton, south-west London.

Carney celebrated with more than 2,500 employees and their families, with a staff bake-off competition for charity, as well as a fun run, treasure hunt, bouncy castle and performance from the Bank’s choir and band.

The Bank insisted its summer party was “carefully budgeted” and was funded within its expenditure budget.

Updated

The Prime Minister’s deputy has floated the idea of a soft Brexit in which Great Britain aligns itself to the single market regime in Northern Ireland in the event of a backstop, according to a report in the Herald.

The attempted concession to the DUP was made by Cabinet Officer minister David Lidington during a visit to Scotland.

But it has been rejected by the DUP’s Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson, who told The Herald: “If David Lidington thinks we are that soft in the head, he doesn’t know us.”

The Herald reports:

Lidington said that if a backstop was ever put in place, “what we would be seeking to do to provide reassurance to unionists in Scotlandand Northern Ireland – and England and Wales for that matter – is to say okay, while that’s in [place] Great Britain will not diverge from the regime in Northern Ireland.

“Now there would still be some exceptions, because Northern Ireland is already different from Great Britain in some respects in certain sectors. But the key thing would be industrial goods.”

Britain’s Minister for the Cabinet Office, David Lidington (far right) visits United Auctions at Stirling Agriculture Centre, Stirling, on November 29.
Britain’s Minister for the Cabinet Office, David Lidington (far right) visits United Auctions at Stirling Agriculture Centre, Stirling, on November 29. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters

Outside of the Brexit hothosue now and the Rail Delivery Group has said that UK rail fares will rise by 3.1% in January.

New fares published on Friday will add hundreds of pounds to many commuters’ annual travel from 2 January 2019. Fares rose at the start of this year by 3.4%, slightly below the 3.6% cap set for regulated fares.

Passenger groups had demanded a freeze after widespread disruption this year, particularly on Govia Thameslink Railway and Northern services, after the botched introduction of a new timetable in May.

Regulated fares, which cover about 45% of fares on national rail and include season tickets, off-peak returns and Anytime fares around major cities, are set to rise by the level of RPI inflation in July, which was 3.2% this year. The rest – including advance and peak long-distance tickets – can be increased at train companies’ discretion.

Campaigners have criticised the use of RPI – an index that is not widely used in government and is normally higher than CPI. The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, sparked anger in the summer by suggesting rail workers should have pay rises tied to the lower rate if they wished to keep fares lower.

Darren Shirley, the chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Rail passengers have endured enough this year, with botched timetable changes and delays to their journeys which led to the worst punctuality figures for 12 years.

Here’s a take from Andrew Fisher, Jeremy Corbyn’s head of policy

The Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has been speaking on the radio this morning about the overwhelmingly supportive response he has received after using a debate in the Commons to announce he is HIV positive, making a personal speech he said was intended to tackle the stigma still associated with the condition.

The first parliamentarian to make such an announcement in the Commons, and the second MP to announce they are HIV positive, Russell-Moyle said on Thursday that he was diagnosed 10 years ago, when he was 22, and that medical advances meant he could live an entirely unaffected life.

“I wanted to be able to stand here in this place and say to those who are living with HIV that their status does not define them,” Russell-Moyle, the MP for Brighton Kemptown since 2017, said in a speech that drew tributes from many other MPs.

Updated

The People’s Vote campaign has formally complained to the BBC and Ofcom over plans to hold a televised Brexit debate without including a supporter of a second referendum.

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have agreed to take part in a discussion of the prime minister’s Brexit plan on national television next Sunday evening, although there is disagreement between the two political parties over whether the BBC or ITV should host the debate.

The BBC’s proposal, which is backed by Downing Street, would see the politicians go head-to-head in Birmingham on 9 December with some questions put to them by a panel of prominent figures from all sides of the Brexit debate.

Theresa May has said she will only take part in a TV debate against Jeremy Corbyn and not any hard Brexiter such as Boris Johnson or any campaigner for a second referendum, saying the country had moved on from the leave versus remain argument.

May said her TV debate with the Labour leader would not be about the same arguments as the 2016 referendum, during which there were multiple live debates from all factions.

“This debate is not about recreating the referendum debate of leave versus remain,” May told reporters at the G20 summit in Argentina, hours after the BBC announced the prime minister had agreed to take part in a televised debate on the Sunday night before the meaningful vote in parliament on 11 December.

There is, um, an interesting profile of May in the pen portraits of the G20 leaders published by Clarin, Argentina’s largest daily.

Nothing that she is the second woman to occupy the office of prime minister since Margaret Thatcher (not massively popular in Argentina) it goes on to describe her as: “ conservative, pragmatic, open to commitment, married and without children.”

It adds that she is a practicing Protestant but has acted in favour of legalising gay marriage. “Although many times there have been predictions of her fall, she remains firm in his post,” it states.

Updated

Was Theresa May listening to that performance by Liam Fox? It’s 6am in Buenos Aires at the moment so there’s a chance she may have had the clock radio on.

While the upcoming parliamentary vote will be foremost in her mind, she’s also going to have to rescue the international reputation of her Brexit deal as she navigates a fraught diplomatic atmosphere with Saudi and Russian leaders.

During the two-day summit in Buenos Aires she will hold up to six bilateral meetings with world leaders, but not with Donald Trump, who has been critical of her Brexit deal and its potential limitations on future trade.

In terms of what’s on May’s plate, here’s a piece from Jessica Elgot, who is travelling with the Prime Minister, and Peter Walker:

At a local level, the current political turmoil over Brexit appears to have had little impact on voters taking part in council by-elections in England since the start of November.

The Tories held two seats, Labour held two, while Lib Dems held two and gained one from a local independent group, the Press Association reports.

Since November 1, when Labour took a seat from the Conservatives, the only other seat to change hands was one which Labour regained from independent (on November 15).

The Lib Dem victory in the latest council by-elections came in the Stratford North division of Warwickshire County Council following the resignation of a county councillor representing the Stratford First group.

Voting was: LD 877, C 610, Stratford First 345, Lab 180, Green 144. The turnout was 27.9%.

In the other latest contests, the Conservatives held seats at Bromley (Kelsey & Eden Park ward) and Welwyn Hatfield (Welwyn West); Labour held seats at Northampton (Delapre & Briar Hill) and Oldham (Failsworth East); and the Lib Dems at Buckinghamshire (Aylesbury North West division) and Oxfordshire (Wheatley).

Make of that Fox interview what you will. The BBC’s Laura Laura Kuenssberg felt that he was giving fairly “lukewarm” support to the prime minister who she said “cut a lonely” figure on the other side of the Atlantic.

Elsewhere, it’s a mixed picture in terms of the reaction both to his morning interviews on the BBC and LBC and the speech he is expected to give later today:

Updated

Fox: No deal would not be a 'disaster'

Fox also claimed however that a ‘no deal’ would not be a disaster and took issue with the way in which statements by the Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, and treasury forecasts had been reported.

Carney threw his weight behind Theresa May’s Brexit deal on Tuesday, warning that a no-deal scenario would damage the economy, trigger job losses, lead to lower pay for workers and cause inflation to rise.

But Fox said that Carney had been laying out a “scenario” rather than making a “forecast”.

“A worst case deal is not going to happen because it assumes the government would not take any mitigating measures,” Fox claimed.

“I don’t agree with some of the ways in which the picture has been calculated but those who are making those scenarios were not making forecasts.”

Asked if he still believed Mrs May’s old mantra that “no deal is better than a bad deal”, he told Today: “Well, I think, as Roberto Azevedo, director-general of the World Trade Organisation, said, it wouldn’t be a disaster, but it wouldn’t be a walk in the park either.
“And we have to understand that there are consequences to these.”

Updated

Fox backs 'imperfect' Brexit deal

Liam Fox, who is to argue today that May’s deal will provide a strong and stable base but will not please everyone, has told the Today Programme that he believes the Prime Minister is “changing the public mood” on Brexit as she tours the country.

The international trade secretary - at one time one of his most ardent of Brexiteers – gave fairly lukewarm support when asked directly at the end of the interview if he would be voting for the Brexit deal.

It was important to have a “balance,” he said, adding: “We could certainly have a trade policy that was much freer that is for sure. But it would mean a loss of access to the EU market, which is 44pc of the UK’s exports. That’s a lot of jobs. A lot of profits.”

Members of parliament and the cabinet would have to make their own decisions for themselves but they would have to compare this particular deal to the alternatives.

On particular aspects of the deal, Fox said that he didn’t “pretend for a second” to be enthusiastic about the backstop which was put in place to give the Irish government confidence that Ireland would not end up with a hard border between north and south.

But he claimed that it was also “extremely unpopular” with some of Britain’s “European partners.” It was “so unpalatable” - in terms of giving a potential advantage to businesses in Northern Ireland - that it would never come to pass, he claimed.

The former foreign secretary, Jack Straw, has claimed that Jeremy Corbyn is “gradually moving” towards a second EU referendum.

Speaking on BBC’s Today Programme in the last half an hour, Straw pointed to comments by shadow chancellor John McDonnell earlier this week, who suggested another vote is “inevitable” if Theresa May’s Brexit deal is blocked by Parliament.

Straw also highlighted a proposed amendment to the draft Withdrawal Agreement, submitted by a cross-party group of Remain-backing MPs last night, but with Labour support, as a step towards that.

“Hilary Benn’s proposal to ensure that there can’t be no deal, that is a staging post to having a second referendum,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He dismissed the suggestion this would be a “denial of the democratic rights” of the 17.4 million people who voted for Brexit.

Straw was speaking after he wrote an article with two other former foreign secretaries, David Miliband and Dame Margaret Beckett, who argued Britain’s position of influence in the world will be diminished by Brexit, and urging for a second referendum.

Updated

Among today’s front pages leading with politics stories, the Telegraph splashes reports that the number of Tory MPs who have spoke out against Theresa May’s Brexit deal has hit 100.

It adds that Matthew Offord, the Tory MP for Hendon, on Thursday became the hundredth MP to say he would vote against her proposals, warning that it will leave the UK “bound” to the EU and put the Union at risk.

The i splashes on how whips have threatened to cut short parliament’s festive break if the prime minister loses the Brexit vote and faces a constitutional crisis

The Guardian leads on plans to relax its immigration rules to let more foreign doctors come to Britain to help tackle the NHS’s widespread shortages of medics.

The Daily Mail takes aim at one of its favourite targets - rail executives - in a splash which describes a CBE awarded to a former Network Rail boss as a “disgrace”.

The Financial Times leads on how the chief executive of Unilever will step down in January after losing a bruising fight with shareholders.

The Times reports on a crackdown by police on gangs which will involve armed police patrolling on foot

Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s politics live blog. I’m Ben Quinn and, as usual, we’ll be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web.

With the clock ticking down to the most important Parliamentary decision in decades on December 11, when MPs will vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal, it remains the main focus today even as she is out of the country ahead of the G20 summit in Argentina.

For now, here’s what’s on the political agenda today:

• Liam will take a swipe at Tory opponents of Theresa May’s Brexit deal accusing them of not facing up to the fact she has had to make tough choices.
The International Trade Secretary will visit the South West as he becomes the latest Cabinet minister to come out to bat for the Prime Minister ahead of the meaningful vote on December 11.

• Theresa May is in Buenos Aires where she is preparing for a G20 summit with world leaders including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, but has stepped up efforts to convince backbench MPs to support her Brexit deal. Speaking in Argentina, she has ruled out any plan B involving a Norway-style compromise deal with the Labour party in order to deliver a parliamentary consensus on Brexit, saying the opposition party’s refusal to accept the backstop arrangement put the UK on a course for no deal.

• The number of Tory MPs who will not back her Withdrawal Agreement has reportedly reached 100, putting its success in serious jeopardy.

• A cross party alliance of MPs is continuing to put together a deal designed to stop Britain leaving the EU without a deal. It has been tabled by Labour’s Hilary Benn, with backing from colleagues in Labour and the Conservatives.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
HSTikkyTokky Demands Public Apology from Piers Morgan Within 24 Hours After Finding Wife's 'Shocking Posts'
Influencer HSTikkyTokky demands a public apology from Piers Morgan after a heated interview on 'Piers Morgan Uncensored', involving controversial Instagram posts.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Ellen DeGeneres Accused in Bizarre 'Chess Prodigy' Story—The Truth Behind the Viral Horror Claim
A viral story alleging a young chess prodigy witnessed disturbing behavior backstage at The Ellen DeGeneres Show is spreading online, despite lacking verifiable evidence.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Beckham Family Feud: Elton John Steps in as 'Mediator,' Urges Everyone to 'Patch Things Up'
Elton John has reportedly stepped in as a mediator for the Beckham family amid their ongoing feud, urging them to reconcile.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
The Price is Right models detail alleged sexual harassment they faced on set of Bob Barker’s game show
New docuseries, ‘Dirty Rotten Scandals,’ pulls back the curtain on the classic game show and its late host, Barker
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Star Wars Fans Think They Figured Out The Mandalorian And Grogu’s Hidden Villain (And I’m Not Mad At It)
Who's the big bad wolf here?
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
“We played a song or two, and I said, ‘Hey, you guys want to jam on some Isley Brothers?’ Nobody laughed”: Les Claypool looks back on his disastrous Metallica audition
Following the death of the sorely missed Cliff Burton, James Hetfield and co. auditioned the bassist of the then-emerging band Primus
Guitar World
Guitar World
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play