Summary

  • The House of Lords debates private members' bills

  1. How will manufacturing and services access EU markets after Brexit?published at 09:42 British Summer Time 19 July 2018

    Brexit questions

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Labour MP Barry Sheerman asks Brexit ministers what steps are being taken to ensure that UK manufacturing and services can continue to have access to EU markets after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr Raab says the Brexit white paper makes clear how the UK will continue to access EU markets through a common rule book.

    He adds that Mr Sheerman is right to look to the long term and the government's Brexit white paper delivers the best options to the UK.

    Chair of the Exiting EU Committee Hilary Benn raises the issue of a 'backstop' and asks whether the secretary of state will confirm that the common rule book will be added to proposals on a backstop in negotiations.

    Mr Raab says the proposals offer a flexible approach and negotiations will progress today.

  2. Busy day for the Brexit Secretarypublished at 09:32 British Summer Time 19 July 2018

    Dominic Raab tweets

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  3. Good morningpublished at 09:30 British Summer Time 19 July 2018

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    The Commons today kicks off with with questions to the secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and his team of ministers.

    It's Dominic Raab's first time taking questions from MPs since he replaced David Davis as Brexit secretary last week.

  4. Johnson: It is not too late to save Brexitpublished at 20:54 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    The ex-foreign secretary accuses the government of "dithering" and urges Theresa May to "change tack".

    Read More
  5. Brexit deal must be 'workable' - Maypublished at 20:19 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    Theresa May rejects claims from a Tory MP that her policy was now that "Brexit means Remain".

    Read More
  6. Boris Johnson's joke-free pitch to MPspublished at 19:19 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    His resignation speech was not about intentionally blasting into a leadership race, but a pitch to get him back into the long-term game.

    Read More
  7. Today in the Commons: Boris Johnson resignation speechpublished at 19:10 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    What happened?

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Boris JohnsonImage source, HOC

    Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson has said it is "not too late to save Brexit" as he accused Theresa May of "dithering" over the UK's strategy for leaving the EU.

    The MP for Uxbridge was making a resignation speech in the Commons.

    Mr Johnson said a "needless fog of self-doubt" had descended over the past 18 months.

    While praising the PM's "courage and resilience", he said her Chequers plan would see the UK in "miserable limbo".

    He quit 10 days ago, saying he could not support the PM's EU blueprint.

    In all, it was a dramatic day in the Commons, with PMQs, urgent questions on rail, Northern Ireland violence, proxy voting for MPs and a statement on space policy.

    You can hear more on Today in Parliament on Radio 4, at 11.30pm tonight.

    The Commons returns at 9:30am tomorrow, with exiting the EU questions first on the agenda.

  8. The white paper delivers a 'pragmatic' Brexitpublished at 19:01 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    UK-EU relationship debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Exiting the EU Minister Robin Walker says the white paper delivers on the wishes of the referendum while offering a "principled and pragmatic Brexit".

    Labour's analysis of the white paper is based on taking "snippets out of context", he states.

    The UK must never forget about the importance of SMEs, he says, adding that the UK has led to forming the common EU rules over the past 40 years, including on "high standards in food and product safety" which is something "our constituents value".

    The UK will be able to seek new deals with Canada, Australia and New Zealand, he says, and the government is seeking "an ambitious deal" for services, he adds.

    The proposal "protects our economic interests" while "delivering global opportunities for trade," he states, adding that the "economy will continue to be strong".

  9. This has been a 'sobering debate'published at 18:58 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    UK-EU relationship debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Shadow exiting the EU minister Paul Blomfield says that this has been a "sobering debate which reflects the depth of the crisis we are in".

    He says that the prime minister has "handed a veto" to the European Research Group, an organisation which has undermined every Conservative PM since its creation.

    He says the prime minister "did not get" a mandate for an extreme Brexit which would take the UK out of the EU and all of its bodies and agencies.

    "The government hasn't the authority to deal with Brexit and it hasn't the ability to tackle the issues that led to it," he says.

    He says he believes that there has been a "dawning realisation" from the prime minister that her "red lines were a mistake", he says.

    "The public will not thank politicians who deliver a damaging Brexit based on false promises," he adds.

  10. In full: Boris Johnson's resignation speechpublished at 18:49 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    The former foreign secretary Boris Johnson attacks the government's approach to Brexit.

    Read More
  11. Single market and customs union not mentioned in referendum - Lib Dempublished at 18:39 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    UK-EU relationship debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Liberal Democrat Exiting the EU spokesperson Tom Brake says he cannot recall people saying during the referendum campaign that they wanted to be out of the single market and the customs union.

    He adds that there has been a growth in the UK of non-EU migration in 2017.

    He states that the Conservative Party is no longer a "pragmatic party" and is instead now "driven by ideology".

    He adds that he believes it is "still possible" for the UK to remain in the EU, through a second vote after a period of extending Article 50. He adds it is possible that the EU may offer to extend Article 50 itself.

    The EU Council is worried about migration in the EU, not over Brexit, he states.

    He adds that no deal would lead to "years of difficulties" for the UK.

    "We can find a way out of this ideological folly," he says.

  12. Emotional speech for law changepublished at 18:30 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

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  13. ECJ will be 'calling the shots' even once UK has leftpublished at 18:10 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    UK-EU relationship debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Sir Bill CashImage source, HoC

    Chair of the European Scrutiny Committee Sir Bill Cash says that the white paper has managed to "turn the gold of democracy into the base metal of subservience" by turning leaving into not leaving, "despite the repeal" of the European Communities Act 1972.

    He adds that by following the common rule book, the UK will be following rules made in the EU but have no say over how they are formed.

    The ECJ will be "calling the shots" even once the UK has left, he adds.

    "It is clear that Germany calls the shots, everybody knows it," he states, adding that Germany "tore up" the Dublin regulations, which he says led to a surge in immigration.

    He argues that this has led to the rise of the far right.

  14. Prime Minister is 'hemmed in' by red lines and by Tory partypublished at 18:09 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    UK-EU relationship debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Hilary BennImage source, HoC

    Chair of the Exiting the EU Committee Hilary Benn says that ministers must not blame civil servants for problems facing the UK, and must instead let problems "fall on their own head".

    He says the white paper is a "political" and "economic" construct. The proposal has been "hemmed in" by Mrs May's red lines as well as her own party, he states.

    He asks if the EU will allow a third country to collect tariffs on its behalf, he says he is "yet to be persuaded" on this point.

    "There is no majority for no deal," he says, listing all of the things that a no deal Brexit would impact in the UK.

  15. No deal situation 'will not be fine at the outset'published at 18:08 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    UK-EU relationship debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Tory MP Andrew Mitchell says that there are "deep and fierce passions on Europe" across the House, and whilst this has always been the case throughout his parliamentary career "the position today is far worse in terms of internal conflict than it ever was on Maastrict".

    The UK is left with two outcomes on Brexit, he says - the Chequers settlement, which the government has "bet the farm" on, and a 'no deal' situation.

    He says that there "ought to be enough in the broad Chequers outline for sensible people to work with", expressing regret that the government gave in to demands by the ERG, but warns that if there is no deal, whilst the UK will survive, "it will not be fine at the outset".

  16. Minority of MPs shout the loudest - SNPpublished at 17:43 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    UK-EU relationship debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Peter GrantImage source, HoC

    The SNP's Europe spokesperson Peter Grant says two of the four equal partners in the UK voted to remain in the EU.

    He says that minority members of a ruling party think they can do what they want because they "shout the loudest".

    He adds that he is disappointed in Mrs May giving in to the demands of the Brexiteers.

    The UK is "less welcoming" than it was "a few years ago" and "racism has been emboldened" since the Brexit vote, he says.

  17. 'Importance of unity' expressed as PM addresses Tory backbencherspublished at 17:43 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    From Jonathan Blake, BBC political correspondent

    A senior Cabinet minister has said Tory MPs have "come to their senses" and "woken up to the importance of unity".

    Speaking as the prime minister addressed the 1922 committee of Conservative backbenchers, the minister said: "Whatever the differences and issues we will hang together and support the PM."

  18. Tory MP pulls letter which would contribute to leadership contestpublished at 17:32 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

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  19. 1922 Committee 'very nice and supportive'published at 17:27 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

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    Prime Minister Theresa May has been meeting the 1922 Committee, the parliamentary group of Conservative MPs, for the last time before Parliament breaks for recess.

    Mrs May was greeted with a warm reception as she arrived for a meeting of the meeting of Tory backbenchers. Table thumping could be heard from inside the gathering.

  20. More than 40 MPs 'do not like this deal' - former ministerpublished at 17:26 British Summer Time 18 July 2018

    UK-EU relationship debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Mr Baker warns that there are more than 40 MPs who would be unhappy with the Chequers deal.

    "People who have said the number 40 are not out by a fraction, when they come to consider the number of members who do not like this deal on these benches, and are willing to vote in line with that dislike.

    "They are out by a factor, Mr Speaker, not a fraction," he states.