The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Veteran Conservative MP Ken Clarke says this morning's events have been "the most extreme situation in Parliament I've ever seen".

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's The World At One, the former Conservative chancellor says "there's not the slightest chance" of the prime minister's deal being supported by MPs.

He suggests Theresa May may "soften" the deal she is proposing, in order to win the support of Labour MPs and get the deal through the House of Commons that way.

Asked about Mrs May's future as prime minister, he says "there isn't anyone else" and is "an irrelevance".

A challenge to her leadership would only add "farce into the situation", he says, and even if a vote of confidence was forced "then she'll win confidently" as other Conservative MPs continue to support her.

"I don't think they have the slightest chance of removing Theresa May."

Alistair Burt, a junior Foreign Office minister, is urging Conservative colleagues not to submit letters calling for a confidence vote in Theresa May.

Speaking outside the ERG meeting, Mr Burt was asked what he would say to those considering putting letters in.

He replied: "Please don't. We have a leader, she's worked incredibly hard on the most difficult deal."

House of Commons
Parliament

The SNP's spokesperson on Europe Peter Grant says "the prime minister admitted last night that there are three possible options but MPs will only get a binary choice between two of them."

He calls for the prime minister to realise that "people need a say".

His fellow SNP MP Neil Gray says "the people of Scotland voted by a wide margin to remain in the EU and their wishes have been disrespected as well as those of the democratically elected Scottish parliament".

The prime minister says "the wishes of the whole union have been taken into account".

Former minister Sir Edward Leigh says there would "very possibly" be enough letters submitted to the 1922 Committee today, although he will not send one.

A confidence vote in Theresa May is triggered if 48 MPs ask for one.

Members of the ERG, a group of Brexiteer Tory MPs, have been, meeting to discuss the proposed Brexit deal.

Pro-Brexit Tory MPs in the ERG are deciding whether to submit letters calling for a confidence vote in Theresa May. Policy editor at the Observer tweets:

Political correspondent for Channel 4 News tweets:

House of Commons
Parliament

SNP MP Kirsty Blackman says "the prime minister hasn't explained what 'in the national interest' means."

She asks how many jobs will be created, how much better off each family will be and how fast GDP will grow.

Theresa May says "the OBR have predicted that in the next few years 800,000 jobs will be created."

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

House of Commons
Parliament

Theresa May began her statement about Brexit to MPs at 10:30 this morning.

Since then, MPs on both sides of the house have been sharing their opinions on the draft withdrawal agreement text which was published last night. They've not been exactly supportive.

There's still a big group of MPs wanting to speak.

SNP MP Stewart Malcolm McDonald asks when the next general election will be.

Theresa May sharply responds "2022."

Image source, Reuters

Two senior members of Theresa May's Cabinet have resigned, as she fights to save her draft Brexit deal.

The Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab, who helped draw up the agreement, was the first to go, saying the document had major flaws.

His resignation was followed an hour later by the work and pensions secretary, Esther McVey, who said the prime minister had failed to "honour the result of the referendum".

Two junior ministers have also quit their posts - and there has been feverish speculation about whether others will follow suit.

In the Commons, where she is into a third hour on her feet, Mrs May admitted she'd had to make tough choices, but insisted her deal - which includes plans for a so-called backstop to prevent a hard Northern Ireland border - was the only viable one.

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said his party couldn't support the agreement, and suggested the government was in chaos.

Several Conservative MPs have publicly questioned whether Theresa May should stay in her job. Supportive comments were rare, to say the least.

Prominent Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg directly challenged her in the Commons, asking why he shouldn't submit a letter of no confidence in her leadership.

He has now submitted that letter, adding to the sense that Theresa May will soon be facing a confidence vote in her leadership of the Conservative Party (if 48 of her MPs ask for one, it happens).

In response to today's developments, the value of the pound fell by more than one per cent against the Euro and the US dollar.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg tweets about news that the European Research Group of Tory MPs have decided to submit letters calling for a confidence vote in Theresa May's position as Conservative Party leader. (48 letters trigger the contest)

House of Commons
Parliament

Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse says "the fracturing of the Conservative Party shows that the 17 million British people who voted to leave the EU were not united in what they thought Brexit meant."

She calls for a "People's Vote."

Theresa May reiterates her message that the British people voted to leave the European Union and "we are fulfilling the wish of the British people".

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

Image source, BBC News

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell says the prime minister's proposed deal "doesn't fulfil any of the things we're looking for" and the Labour Party will be opposing it.

"I can't see it commanding a majority in the House", he says, "it just won't fly".

Speaking on Politics Live, he disagrees that Labour MPs will be split on whether to support the deal "for the sake of the country".

Whilst he believes very few MPs support the prime minister's deal, he says "there is an overwhelming majority to avoid no deal".

He denies that the Labour Party has been "throwing out obstacles" with its Brexit stance, insisting his party's Brexit tests are "the ones the government set itself"

"We're trying to look after the interests of the county for the long term."

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

Conservative MP Ranil Jayawardena has quit his post as a parliamentary private secretary in the Ministry of Justice, telling the Prime Minister that her EU withdrawal agreement "does not deliver a good and fair Brexit". See below for his full letter:

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour's Paula Sheriff asks Theresa May whether she could accept she "inadvertently misled the nation" during her Brexit speech at Lancaster House last year.

The speech, she says, offered a "Utopian vision of Brexit" that "simply cannot, and never could be delivered".

In reply, Theresa May says all the decisions she has taken are "compatible" with the speech, which said the UK's new relationship with the EU would include a balance of "rights and obligations".

House of Commons
Parliament

SNP MP Pete Wishart says "there is a clear lack of support for the deal and more minister resignations are to come."

He asks how the prime minister feels about her position

Theresa May says "My interest is to deliver on the wishes of the British people."

House of Commons
Parliament

Theresa May is now into her third hour taking questions - almost all of them negative - about her proposed Brexit deal.

Conservative MP Lee Rowley says "this is a bad deal which people did not vote for" and "the people will not accept this".

Theresa May says "the key issues people wanted to see from leaving the EU were an end to free movement, an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and for less money to be sent to the EU - we are dealing with all of these.

"We have delivered on the key elements of the vote that people took."

Clive Coleman
BBC legal correspondent

The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) is a kind of Supreme Court of the EU.

It is the ultimate arbiter on matters of EU law.

This means it has the power to determine disputes between individuals and member states on matters of EU law, for example when an individual complains that a benefit he or she is entitled to under EU law is being denied.

The court also determines disputes between member states and EU institutions such as the European Commission.

During the transition period the ECJ will maintain its current jurisdiction and powers.

This means that the UK is bound fully to the court and by its rulings.

If the transition period is extended, the ECJ’s jurisdiction will also be extended.

If no long-term trade agreement between the UK and the EU is concluded and the transition period comes to an end, then the so-called backstop arrangements will take effect.

Under these arrangements the UK and the EU will form a single customs territory.

At this point the ECJ will not be able to resolve disputes between the UK and EU.

Instead there will be a dispute resolution procedure which provides for arbitration.

However, the arbitration panel must refer any matter which concerns the interpretation of EU law to the ECJ.