Image source, EPA

Scottish Secretary David Mundell has said he is supporting the deal because a no-deal Brexit would be "catastrophic" for Scotland.

He told BBC Scotland: "I believe it would be a fundamental threat to the continuation of the United Kingdom and therefore in the round you have to weigh up all the issues.

"These are difficult and complex judgments but I'm not prepared to countenance a no-deal outcome for Scotland."

He said that "it's not a perfect deal" but "it's not as bad a deal as characterised".

"It contains many positive elements in relation to the rights of EU citizens," he said.

"Going forward, it contains this hugely important prospect for Scottish businesses for being able to trade in the EU without tariffs, without quotas - that's the number one thing that businesses have said that they want."

Adam Fleming
Reporter, Daily Politics

The Spanish government raised serious concerns about the status of Gibraltar as a result of Brexit during a meeting of EU27 ministers this morning.

The Spanish government told the gathering that two articles of the withdrawal agreement (184 and 3) taken together add up to Gibraltar remaining permanently as UK territory. Spain claims to have been taken by surprise when the draft was published last week.

They say Gibraltar’s status cannot be part of the “territorial scope” of the future relationship.

They also say the transition period should have a Gibraltar-specific element and should only be extendable for a maximum of one year, not the two years mooted by the European Commission.

European diplomats say Spain’s concerns appeared serious and genuine, but most member states and the European Commission and the European Council don’t agree with Madrid’s reading of the text and are seeking to provide reassurance.

In the worst case scenario Spain might not consent to the final deal.

More likely, they’ll be convinced by some additional language. But it’s definitely a speed-bump on the road to the special Brexit summit on Sunday.

Separately, several EU member states raised concerns about when they will be shown the final draft of the political declaration on the framework for the future relationship and whether they will be shown in before it’s published.

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley has been pitching the merits of Theresa May's Brexit deal to business leaders in Belfast.

She stressed that a no-deal Brexit would result in customs and regulatory checks on the island of Ireland because of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

"We will do, as the UK government, everything we can to avoid there being a hard border on the island of Ireland - we do not want to see there being physical infrastructure at the border and we will try to facilitate that in any way we can," she said.

"But the WTO rules are clear - tariffs will apply, checks will be required - that is what the WTO says."

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Tory MP Anne Marie Morris, from the pro-Brexit ERG faction, told the programme that she believed Theresa May's deal would not be good for business.

"I will vote it down, I do not believe it’s in the best interest," she said.

She said that she had submitted a letter of no-confidence in May "with a heavy heart".

She thinks the UK should prepare for World Trade Organization rules, which will lead to proper negotiation and then to "Canada plus plus".

Read more about a 'Canada-style' trade deal

Image source, Reuters

Three water cannon bought and refurbished for more than £320,000 while Boris Johnson was London Mayor have been sold for £11,000.

They were bought by Mr Johnson as crowd-control measures after the 2011 riots.

They were sold for £11,025 to Nottinghamshire-based Reclamations (Ollerton) Ltd who will dismantle them and export the parts.

Current Mayor Sadiq Khan said "we have managed to finally get rid of them".

They were bought by Mr Johnson from Germany in 2014 - before their use had been licensed on the UK mainland.

Then-Home Secretary Theresa May banned their use in riot situations in 2015, external, and later used the purchase to ridicule Mr Johnson in the Tory leadership race after David Cameron resigned.

Read the full story

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Josh Hardie, deputy director general of the CBI, told the programme said a no deal scenario would be a "calamity".

"To rip the rug out of our feet will cost jobs for a long time to come," he said.

But he said what he had heard from Theresa May today was "very, very welcome".

Andrew Francis, the chief economics adviser to the National Farmers Union said: "It's absolutely critical that we avoid any cliff edge scenario that might happen under a no deal.

"This would be absolutely catastrophic for the farming industry."

Gary Waylen is finance director of FTSE 250 engineering company Rotork.

He says Theresa May had a warmer reception at the CBI conference this year than last.

On Brexit, "Theresa May has at least brought a deal we can try and understand", Mr Waylen comments.

He wants to avoid a no deal Brexit but is making plans by talking to customs agents about avoiding the port of Dover and using others such as Bristol.

Labour MP and People's Vote campaigner Chuka Umunna said the plot by the European Research Group to oust Theresa May will "not change the fundamentals" of voting any Brexit deal through.

"If the [Brexiteers] change the prime minister and put in Dominic Raab or David Davis, they are, I would argue, less likely to get the arithmetic to stack up for the kind of Brexit they want in the House of Commons," he told BBC Two's Politics Live.

"This is the ultimate weak spot for the ERG as they will huff and they will puff and they will blow the house down - but it is not going to change the arithmetic.

"This is a minority, these are 40 hardcore Brexit extremists out of 650 members of parliament, and there are a variety of views."

Image source, Reuters

The director general of the CBI has criticised the government's approach to immigration as part of the Brexit deal.

In a statement responding to Theresa May's speech at the CBI conference, she said: "Government may be listening to business when it comes to immigration, but they still aren’t hearing.

“Free movement of people is ending and a new immigration system represents a seismic shift – one that firms across the country need time to adapt to."

She said a "false choice" between high and low skilled workers would "deny businesses, from house builders to healthcare providers, the vital skills they need to succeed."

Instead, she said: “The best way to build public confidence is through a migration system based on contribution, not numbers.”

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme

BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme