House of Commons
Parliament

The Commons votes to reject SNP New Clause 16, which sought to demand further legislative consent from the Scottish Parliament.

Ayes: 36

Noes: 316

Majority: 280

The Commons divides to vote on New Clause 36, which is the ERG amendment to ensure that the UK does not collect taxes for the EU without a reciprocal arrangement.

House of Commons
Parliament

The Commons has voted to reject Labour's New Clause 13, which sought to demand the Commons passes an amendable resolution authorising the rate of import duty on particular goods.

Ayes: 291

Noes: 316

Majority: 25

The Commons divides to vote on the SNP's New Clause 16, which seeks to prevent further regulations applying to Scotland unless the consent of the Scottish Parliament is granted.

House of Commons
Parliament

The Commons has voted against Labour's New Clause 11, which established a negotiating objective of keeping the UK in an agreement which allows tariff-free access to the European Union.

Ayes: 289

Noes: 316

Majority: 27

The Commons divides to vote on New Clause 13, which seeks to enhance Parliamentary scrutiny.

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Parliament

Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mel Stride says leaving the customs union is a straightforward legal consequence of leaving the EU, so the idea of remaining, as is put forward in Anna Soubry's amendment, is not an option.

Amber Rudd expresses concern at the government's support for new clause 36, which would prevent HMRC from collecting other countries' tariffs and appears to contradict the Brexit white paper. Mel Stride says it does not.

He says new clause 37, which would rule out a post-Brexit customs border in the Irish sea, follows the government's policy on the matter and so they support it.

With that, the Commons divides to vote on New Clause 11, which gives potential for the UK to seek a customs union with the EU.

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Image source, HoC

Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Peter Dowd says the "only thing the party opposite are open to and tolerant of are big fat donations from Russian oligarchs".

He says that the UK's "place in the world is a laughing stock" due to Ms May's "supine sycophancy" for US President Donald Trump.

He asks if the UK spend "decades" trying to get rid of divides in Northern Ireland only to reconstitute them later.

Delays in the supply chain will lead to higher costs for consumer, he adds. A Customs Union is what businesses need, what producers want and would most benefit consumers, he states.

Labour's New Clause 13 would "empower" the Commons while the government seeks to "sidestep" it, he says.

"If they can't get a grip, get out," he finishes.

The Labour whips Twitter account has outlined what they believe to be the order of the votes tonight.

From 9pm we're looking at seven votes (remember each vote takes about 15 minutes to process and count). So it looks as though there won't be any debate on third reading, just a vote...because MPs will run out of time.

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Parliament

Image source, HoC

SNP economy spokesperson Kirsty Blackman says there is a majority for a customs union among MPs in the House, but as a result of factionalism this will go ignored.

Instead, it will be "about sovereignty for a very small group of elite Tories who want to have their say, who the government are letting have their say", she says.

The Labour frontbench, if they are serious about 'a jobs-first Brexit', needs to be clear that they will support the softest possible Brexit and remain in a customs union, she says.

"This bill is a mess... We need everybody in the House to get behind the proposals that actually protect jobs and actually protect the sovereignty of not just an elite few."

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Image source, Hoc

Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg says the ERG amendments are "broadly in line" with government policy, which is why the government has accepted them.

"We should not have Henry VIII clauses if we can possibly avoid them, they're not good legislative practice," he states.

He expresses relief that such clauses are "becoming less popular" in the Commons.

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Parliament

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Putney Conservative MP Justine Greening says the Brexit white paper is "a fudge" and "attempts to ride two horses".

She says it is clear that people who voted to leave the European Union are not going to get the "clean break" they feel this country needs in order to to be successful.

"My concern is that this place has reached stalemate," she says, and because of the stalemate it's time for the British people to have the final say on the approach ahead.

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Conservative MP Dominic Grieve says the government's Brexit white paper, which whilst he doesn't think is perfect, is the "first sensible document" in the negotiations.

He says the whole process MPs are going through with Brexit is an "exercise in deception and self deception".

The ERG amendments aim to disrupt the government's approach, but fail to do so, he says.

(What are the ERG amendments? Take a look here.)

He explains that the government has accepted them because they know that, and the ERG's know they know that, so their decision to therefore not withdraw them have revealed their approach to be "an exercise in bullying".

"It is not my job as a member of Parliament to put on the statute book clauses in bills which are inadequate, incomprehensible and on top of that seek to undermine the government... and for that reason I will be voting against both of them this evening."

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Image source, HoC

The DUP's Sammy Wilson says that peace in Northern Ireland has been thrown around "willy-nilly", with MPs treating the Good Friday agreement as a "kind of bedtime story" in their arguments over Brexit.

He argues that too many people don't even understand the realities of the Irish border and that New Clause 37, which rules out a border in the Irish sea, would help preserve peace.

"It is not essential to have a hard border," he says, "it is a red-herring".

The law says a separate customs arrangement for Northern Ireland cannot happen, he says, and that "people fail to understand" the reality of the situation.

The European Research Group (ERG), a group of backbench Brexiteer Tory MPs led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, have tabled amendments to the Customs Bill, which some argued attempt to 'wreck' the government's Brexit position.

The government have indicated they will accept these amendments, however, which has been met with anger and frustration by many MPs.

But what are the amendments and what do they mean?

• NC 36, or “new clause 36” – Tabled by former international development secretary Priti Patel, this amendment would prevent HMRC from collecting other countries’ tariffs without a reciprocal agreement. The government’s Brexit white paper had suggested the UK collect tariffs on behalf of the EU for goods on their way to Europe.
• Amendment 72 – tabled by veteran Eurosceptic Sir Bernard Jenkin, this amendment would mean that for the government to use powers to implement a customs union with the EU, a separate piece of legislation would need to go through Parliament. While the government’s position is not to have a customs union, Brexiteers are worried that this could become watered down during negotiations with Brussels.
• Amendment 73 – Tabled by Conservative Craig Mackinlay, this amendment commits the government to having a separate VAT system with the EU.
• NC 37 - Tabled by Tory MP Laurence Robertson, but also supported by Labour Brexiteer Kate Hoey and the DUP, this amendment would rule out a post-Brexit customs border in the Irish sea and directly contradicts the EU's legal draft of the so called "Irish backstop".