Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Brexit LIVE: GOODBYE BREXIT! May to hold CRUNCH Cabinet meeting – customs unions expected

Theresa May will be locked in vital talks today as she desperately searches for ways to respond to the collapse of cross-party talks with Labour and the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Mrs May is still trying to win the support of opposition politicians for her Brexit deal, including potentially offering a much tighter customs relationship with the European Union. The proposals could include a new law to provide for a customs union-style arrangement with Brussels so there would be no need to checks on goods crossing the UK border.

This could appeal to Labour, which is calling for full permanent membership of a customs union with the EU.

This would be somewhat of a surprise following the collapse of cross-party talks, with Mrs May still considering whether to press ahead with the customs plan when they put the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to a vote in the House of Commons next month.

But the Prime Minister risks sparking further fury from her Cabinet, with resignations from major names even possible.

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Mrs May has promised to take Britain out of the EU’s customs union in order to strike free trade deals with other countries around the world.

Prominent Brexiteer MPs and those with plans for challenging for leadership of the Conservative Party would be most likely to quit if she abandons this red line.

The Prime Minister could also hold a fourth rounds of indicative votes in the House of Commons, asking MPs to choose between a range of backup options.

Mrs May has promised her new proposals would be bold, offering new and improved terms for MPs to vote for when she brings her Withdrawal Agreement Bill to Westminster.

SEE BELOW FOR LIVE BREXIT UPDATES:

9.30am update: Pound falls to FOUR-MONTH LOW against US dollar

Sterling to a four-month low against the US dollar and euro ahead of expectations Theresa May will fail to persuade her Cabinet to back an amended version of her Brexit deal.

The pound slipped 0.2 percent to $1.2688 while against the euro it dropped 0.14 percent to 87.88 pence.

BNY Mellon strategist Neil Mellor said: “There’s been an accumulation of disappointments since the start of this month as it’s become clear the talks with Labor had stalled.

“The possibility of some kind of agreement had generated relative stability since late-February but that’s over now.”

9.17am update: PM’s vow to get Brexit deal changed RUBBISHED by EU – ‘Nothing we can do’

Theresa May suffered another round of fresh embarrassment after she vowed to get changes made to her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement were rejected by officials in the EU.

The EU commission said no alterations would be made to the Prime Minister’s deal after she claimed that Parliament would get the chance to vote on an improved deal.

According to the Independent, a spokesperson for the commission claimed that despite talks between Labour and the Conservatives over improvements which could be made to the deal, there was “nothing that we can do at this stage”.

Mrs May faces rebellion from her MPs over her deal and has already been forced to confirm her departure from Downing Street after a fourth vote on her deal is concluded in the week beginning June 3.

The spokesperson added: “I think it’s clear that we’re in a situation where London talks to London, so there is nothing that we can do at this stage, as we think we said on many occasions in the past.

“When this process in London is over, then of course we are here, within the caveats that you all know, ready to engage, and of course, keeping always the 31 October deadline very present in the picture.”

9.05am update: Brexit ULTIMATUM: Leadsom warns May must deliver Brexit amid MASS resignation fears

Theresa May has been offered a Brexit ultimatum on her “bold” withdrawal bill amid fears of mass ministerial resignations.

Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom told the teetering Prime Minister that she would only back the bill as long as it clearly “delivers Brexit”.

She made the comments to BBC’s Nick Robinson the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday morning.

Mr Robinson asked: “I want to know whether you’re going to back it because there are some reports suggesting that Downing Street is braced for resignations.

“And you’re one of the ones who has always been fairly robust on these issues.

“Are you backing the plan?”

Ms Leadsom initially replied equivocally, saying: “I will want to see that it delivers Brexit.

“On the other hand, I know that some of the measures in the bill will be to promote alternative arrangements to the backstop – something that has been of great concern to some of my colleagues.”

8.50am update: Electoral watchdog to visit Brexit Party HQ to review financial systems

The Electoral Commission will visit the head offices of the Brexit Party today as it launches a review into the systems it has in place to receive donations.

The move comes after former Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for an investigation to be carried out into the finances the newly-launched party.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: “The Brexit Party, like all registered political parties, has to comply with laws that require any donation it accepts of over £500 to be from a permissible source.

“It is also subject to rules for reporting donations, loans, campaign spending and end of year accounts. We have already been talking to the party about these issues.

“As part of our active oversight and regulation of these rules, we are attending the Brexit Party’s office tomorrow to conduct a review of the systems it has in place to receive funds, including donations over £500 that have to be from the UK only.

“If there’s evidence that the law may have been broken, we will consider that in line with our enforcement policy.”

8.40am update: Hammond attacks Brexiteer Tories over no deal ‘HIJACK’

Chancellor Philip Hammond will warn the next Tory Prime Minister will not have the power to take Britain out of the European Union with no deal.

In a speech to the CBI, he will warn there is “no mandate” for such an outcome and that even with “all the preparation in the world” it would be hugely damaging.

In an attack on Prime Minister candidates such as Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab, Mr Hammond will say: “There is a real risk of a new prime minister abandoning the search for a deal, and shifting towards seeking a damaging no-deal exit as a matter of policy.

“To advocate for no deal is to hijack the result of the referendum and in doing so knowingly to inflict damage on our economy and our living standards.

“We have an absolute obligation to protect Britain’s jobs, businesses and future prosperity.”

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