Exclusive: Carolyn Fairbairn of industry body will urge MPs to put economy before politics
A no-deal Brexit would have profound economic consequences with GDP shrinking by up to 8%, putting thousands of jobs at risk, the Confederation of British Industry is to warn.
The business body is urging MPs to back Theresa May’s deal, describing it as a “solution” businesses can work with as it delivers a transition period and avoids a “hugely damaging cliff edge”.
Continue reading...Guarantees over workers’ rights offered, as prime minister eyes compromise
Theresa May has sparked hopes among senior Labour figures that she is laying the groundwork to compromise on her Brexit deal after next week’s meaningful vote, following a flurry of contacts with union leaders and MPs in recent days.
Conservative ministers were calling around Labour MPs on Thursday – including at least one member of the shadow cabinet – to gauge support for May’s deal if she beefs up pledges on workers’ rights.
Continue reading...Amendments mean PM would have with little room to move if Brexit deal rejected next week
Theresa May’s room for manoeuvre should her Brexit deal be rejected next week was further constrained on Wednesday night, after the government lost a second dramatic parliamentary showdown in as many days.
An increasingly boxed-in prime minister must now set out her plan B within three working days of a defeat next Tuesday, after the rebel amendment passed.
Continue reading...Bercow allows debate on amendment aimed at stopping government ‘running down clock’ to no deal
The Speaker, John Bercow, has allowed MPs to debate an amendment that could force Theresa May to present a new Brexit plan within three days if her current proposal is voted down, a decision likely to enrage the government.
Bercow has selected an amendment led by the Conservative MP Dominic Grieve to the business motion that sets up the latest five-day debate on the prime minister’s plan, which will culminate in a crunch vote next Tuesday.
Continue reading...Shinzō Abe will first visit the Netherlands, where many Japanese firms are relocating ahead of Brexit
Japan’s prime minister, Shinzō Abe, who is to meet Theresa May in London on Thursday, will underscore the damage Brexit is likely to have on Japanese investment in Britain by first visiting the Netherlands, the country to which many UK-based Japanese firms are redeploying ahead of the UK’s departure from the EU.
The choice of the Netherlands as the other stop on Abe’s mini-European tour is not a coincidence since he will also be given a chance to be briefed on how a no-deal Brexit could clog the flow of trade into Rotterdam, the main gateway for Japanese and British firms into the EU single market.
Continue reading...Letter to Met police comes after Speaker expresses concern about protesters targeting MPs outside parliament
Dozens of MPs have written to the UK’s most senior police officer to raise concerns about safety outside parliament after the Conservative MP Anna Soubry faced chants from protesters on Monday calling her a “Nazi”.
At least 55 parliamentarians signed the letter to the Metropolitan police commissioner, Cressida Dick, after the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, urged officers to do more to protect MPs and Soubry criticised the lack of police response to the abuse.
Continue reading...Brussels says PM likely to be offered ‘exchange of letters’ confirming EU’s intention to quickly conclude trade talks
Theresa May hopes to secure last-minute assurances from the European Union before next Tuesday’s meaningful vote over Brexit, although there are significant differences between the sides and scepticism that rebel Tories can be won over.
Brussels sources said at lunchtime on Monday that the prime minister was likely to be offered an “exchange of letters” confirming the EU’s intention to quickly conclude trade talks with the UK.
Continue reading...Road haulage body dismisses trial involving 79 lorry drivers as ‘window dressing’
The Department for Transport is carrying out a live trial of an emergency traffic congestion system to be used in Dover in the event of a no-deal Brexit, with 79 lorry drivers participating.
The trucks started their journey north of the port, at the disused Manston airport near Ramsgate, at 7am on Monday and were due to make their way to Dover.
Continue reading...PM says parliament may get more say on EU ties but warns critics risk harming democracy
Theresa May has insisted she will go ahead with a crucial vote on her Brexit deal amid growing speculation that it could be delayed.
The prime minister said she was seeking further clarification from the EU to address the concerns of MPs, as well as specific measures relating to the backstop on Northern Ireland before the vote in the week beginning 14 January.
Continue reading...Up to 150 lorries to be used in Kent test of government plans to cope with border disruption
Preparations for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit will include up to 150 lorries queuing up near Dover during rush hour to test plans to deal with any disruption caused by new border customs checks, the government has confirmed.
Hauliers in the area will be asked to take part in Monday’s live test of a mass “HGV holding facility” that is designed to deal with any backlog after the UK leaves the EU in March.
Continue reading...No 10 refuses to provide details of call, with PM battling to obtain assurances on backstop
Theresa May has spoken to Jean-Claude Juncker as part of her effort to obtain further written reassurances that the Irish border backstop in her Brexit deal would never come into force.
The phone call between the prime minister and the European commission president on Friday was described by Brussels as “friendly” but Downing Street refused to provide any further details, as May struggles to break the Brexit impasse.
Continue reading...Almost 1,000 officers from rest of UK to start training to deal with trouble arising from hard border
Almost 1,000 police officers from England and Scotland are to begin training for deployment in Northern Ireland in case of disorder from a no-deal Brexit, the Guardian has learned.
The plans were put in place after Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chiefs asked for reinforcements to deal with any trouble that arises from a hard border. The training for officers from English forces and Police Scotland is expected to begin this month.
Continue reading...Party leader says Theresa May should return to Brussels to secure new deal with full customs union
Jeremy Corbyn will defy calls to change course on the party’s Brexit policy ahead of parliament’s vote on the deal, insisting that the government should secure a new deal with the EU if MPs reject Theresa May’s agreement.
Under increasing pressure from Labour members and MPs to reconsider his approach as preparations for the delayed “meaningful vote” ramp up over the next week, Corbyn said on Wednesday that the party’s policy remained “sequential” and that no decision could be made on a second referendum until parliament voted down the deal on offer.
Continue reading...Nearly 90% of party members would opt to stay in the EU in a ‘people’s vote’, finds survey
Labour members are significantly more opposed to Brexit than Jeremy Corbyn is, with 72% of them thinking their leader should fully support a second referendum, according to a study of attitudes in the party.
The polling, part of an ongoing wider academic study into attitudes in various parties, found that only 18% opposed Labour campaigning for a second referendum, while 88% would then opt for remain if such a vote was held.
Continue reading...Mayor uses New Year’s Eve event to send message London remains open to Europeans
If the festive season can sometimes involve trolling relatives with different political views, Sadiq Khan has arguably taken the tradition to a grand scale with a New Year’s Eve fireworks display which has prompted apoplexy among Brexiters with its pro-EU message.
The mayor hailed the event, in which the London Eye was lit up in the blue-and-yellow colours of the EU flag, as part of a wider message to Europe that the capital would stay “open-minded” and “outward looking” after Brexit.
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