House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

DUP Gavin Robinson says Northern Ireland is "going to be left behind" as a result of the EU withdrawal agreement.

He was not an "ideologue" on Brexit, but "proudly voted leave" out of frustration at "the fear and the threats and intimidation from those who said if you do not do what you’re told Northern Ireland will descend back into chaos".

The backstop proposals are unnecessary, he says, pointing out that EU preparations for a no deal Brexit make no provision for a hard border: "we have spent two years tearing ourselves apart trying to solve an issue that does not amount to a hill of beans."

The deal treats Northern Ireland differently despite that, he says, and he cannot support it for that reason.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Conservative MP Stephen Kerr says the Brexit select committee has concluded that businesses would have preferred to stick with the status quo, and now need clarity and certainty.

"It is now for us as Parliamentarians to be pragmatic and deliver the certainty that businesses need, and we do that by supporting this deal," he says.

Mr Kerr says as a unionist he has concerns that "nationalism is waiting in the wings", as Scottish Nationalists "want to break up the UK".

This transcends every other issue for them, he says - they believe chaos and disruption will give them the platform to launch their bid for a second independence referendum.

He asks for Tory colleagues carefully consider the impact of supporting a no-deal Brexit for this reason.

"I appeal to my colleagues to not sacrifice the good for the sake of an unrealisable perfect", he says, "a second referendum or general election both lead to more uncertainty."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Nick Smith says a permanent customs union would offer greater stability, which is why it is backed by both Labour and the CBI.

Businesses and workers face uncertainty with the current deal, he adds, encouraging his colleagues to consider what is in the best interests of their constituents.

"There is no obvious way through this impasse," he says, "but one thing is for certain - I cannot vote for this deal."

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Conservative Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate says that there needs to be an opportunity to "regroup" if there is a "major impasse".

He says the UK is "going about disengagement from Europe in such a reckless way", with the UK's reputation for "common sense" under threat.

Labour peer Lord Griffiths of Burry Port says a "consequence" of Brexit is that the UK union could "come under threat".

Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Campbell of Pittenweem says the "authority of the prime minister diminishes almost before our eyes" as the agreement is being debated.

"Next week, if she loses the vote...there may not be a constitutional crisis," he says, but there may be "constitutional chaos".

He is as passionate about remaining as those who are passionate about leaving, he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative Paul Masterton says his constituency voted 75% remain, the highest remain vote in a constituency held by a Conservative.

He "admittedly reluctantly" accepts however that Britain voted to leave the EU, and he was elected despite standing on a pledge to deliver Brexit

"Although it’s not the deal I wanted, cherries have been picked here and cake has certainly been eaten... it is the best deal that could have been achieved, and it is a risk to vote it down in the hope that something better materialises".

He will be supporting the deal, because "for me it is not about rolling the dice...if I was to vote against the deal and no other solution arrived and we crashed out, I would feel responsible."

"I do not feel I can be complicit in that."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson says "the energy of Parliament has been sucked into the black hole of Brexit."

The United Kingdom's best interests are best served in the EU, she says, applauding members of Parliament "coming together beyond party lines to push for the public to have a final say on the deal".

I am certain that Scotland’s best future is in the United Kingdom, she says, noting that "we need a 'People's Vote'."

Two and a half years on we know that leaving the EU won’t make us richer, won’t bring in £350m a week for the NHS, and it won't be the easiest trade deal in human history, Ms Swinson says.

"These were the fantasies of the leave campaign."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Tory MP Douglas Ross says he voted remain, but is a democrat and respects the decision taken in the referendum. He does resent the decision to delay the vote however.

He says he cannot support the deal as it does not deliver for the fishing industry, offering insufficient assurances that it will be protected, whilst the backstop concerns him as a unionist.

After "weeks of wrestling" with his concerns, he says he has not been able to resolve them and will be voting against the agreement.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Chris Elmore says he cannot vote for the deal as "I will not vote for my constituents to be poorer".

He says he is in no doubt that the prime minister's task to produce a deal is tough, but "this deal achieves the support of neither [side of the Brexit debate]".

This deal is the worst of both worlds, he says: "the UK will not be in the European Union, will be economically weakened and will have no say over EU rules."

Mr Elmore questions whether if this deal had been the official leave campaign, leave would have won the referendum.

He says the government has treated the devolved nations, members of Parliament and communities of the UK "in contempt", and that this deal will not bring the country together.

"If a government cannot command a majority in this House on its flagship legislation, it should fall."

House of Commons
Parliament

Tory Julian Knight says he did not come into politics to "bang on about Brexit" and despite some concerns, supports the withdrawal agreement.

He was "deeply concerned" by the backstop, but believes, "on reflection", that it is significantly uncomfortable for the EU for it to not be allowed to become permanent.

The deal also provides frictionless access to EU markets, which his constituency is reliant upon.

He rejects the idea of a second referendum, which would "only deepen tensions" and follow the "dishonourable tradition" of Brussels overturning decisions taken by the people that it does not like.

"Let's move forward, because if we do not, we're in serious danger of creating such deep fissures that we will never close again in this country."

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Pat McFadden says nothing of substance has changed in the proposals laid before MPs today, with the flaws in the agreement far more than just the Northern Ireland backstop.

The government has not even tried to deny the Brexit will make the country poorer, Mr McFadden says, "never before, certainly in peacetime, has the government brought forward a proposition that it admits will make the country poorer."

That this deal is better than a "chaotic" no deal is the government's only hope, but the deal itself is "a humiliation".

"We have learnt that we couldn't have our cake and eat it because this was always a false promise," Mr McFadden adds.

This deal "does not solve the genuine grievances of this country".

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative Ross Thomson says he cannot, "as a Scottish unionist", support the withdrawal agreement, which would leave "Northern Ireland in a separate regulatory regime".

"I simply will not allow our United Kingdom to be broken up by the back door."

The UK could be tied to EU rules that it could not control, he says: "that would not be taking back control...that is worse than our current arrangement".

He expresses concern that the agreement protects European foods like parma ham and feta cheese, but restricts Scottish whiskey's access to markets such as India.

"No where in this agreement can I see something that the UK has achieved as a concession", he says, but the EU seems to have got "everything that they want".

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Former Conservative minister Lord Forsyth of Drumlean warns that "there is no turning back without putting our democracy in serious peril".

He states that "only the elite" seek political "projects" that bring countries ever closer.

Labour's Lord Browne of Ladyton warns that threats faced by the UK "do not recognise" borders, adding that if there is no special agreement on security arrangements it could be harmful to the UK.

He says ministers should be "honest" about what is possible in terms of security after the UK leaves.

Liberal Democrat Baroness Walmsley says that the prime minister is making a "choice to lead us over a cliff-edge" based on the votes of one in four of the British population.

We need to postpone Article 50 and ask the public, she states.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP and former Brexiteer Sir David Crausby says the referendum should never have happened in the first place. That it did is "the fault of us politicians, and we have a duty to resolve it".

"Referendums are not the right way, not even the honest way, to make complex policy in the interest of our country," Sir David explains, especially when they are being "wrongly used to win general elections".

He says the Labour Party "must be clear what we stand for, and then put that to the people in a general election".

"We would be better to stay in the European Union and give the rest of them hell, particularly the unelected bureaucrats," he says, rather leaving the EU in a no-deal scenario.

House of Commons
Parliament

Tory MP Alberto Costa, who is a PPS with the Scotland department, says he believes in delivering a "smooth and orderly Brexit", and whilst the deal is imperfect, it provides that.

He says many constituents have asked him to vote against the deal, and to vote for the deal, for different reasons. Those that ask him to support the deal do so "in a calm, rational and thoughtful manner."

The deal protects the rights of EU nationals living in Britain and British citizens living in the EU, he says, although he is "uneasy" with the fees charged for settled status - something which, as a member of the government, "is a matter that I am continuing to pursue to ensure there is absolute fairness".

The deal also provides certainty for businesses, he adds, whilst the backstop is not as significant in issue to prevent MPs for voting for the deal.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Labour MP Rushanara Ali says the deal "leaves us as rule takers at the mercy of the EU" and fundamentally worse off.

She says she doesn't understand how the government can say the deal is in the interest of the British people. This is another example of the government "failing to prioritise" the best interests of the UK.

"The country is paying the price for the prime minister's mistakes," Ms Ali states, suggesting that Theresa May has failed to listen and communicate with MPs.

The Conservative Party is "making a mockery of the country to the rest of the world", she says, adding that the public should have a final say with a choice between the government's deal and no Brexit.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Tory MP Theresa Villiers says she will vote against the withdrawal agreement.

"I just can't support an agreement which I don't think is in the national interest, which I don't think respects the result of the referendum in 2016."

Over 60 pages of the withdrawal agreement are taken up listing the regulations the UK would have to follow and yet have no say on, she says.

She says she will work to "bridge the divisions that the referendum has exposed", but does not believe the deal will do this, urging MPs to reject it.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable says a no-deal Brexit is "a conscious choice of a government which could choose to revoke Article 50 and remove all the catastrophic consequences."

Mr Cable says "there is some very real difficulties in applying WTO rules", and that if the UK crashes out with no-deal, it cannot rely on the WTO disputes panel to resolve any issues "in an orderly and fair manner".

He says it "baffles him" that members opposite are "affronted by the intrusiveness of the European Court of Justice", suggesting this is exactly what the dispute panels of the WTO do.

The main problem with international trade isn’t tariffs but standards, Mr Cable adds, noting that this was why the UK entered the single market in the first place.

He says that people who are saying WTO rules are nothing to worry about are "disregarding the consequences", and that leaving on WTO terms "is not a viable option".

Mr Cable says the only way of "doing this properly and reasserting democratic legitimacy" is to go back to the people and seek their approval.

House of Lords
Parliament

Elsewhere in Parliament, the Lords are also debating the EU Withdrawal Agreement reached between the UK and EU.

Crossbencher Lord Kerr, who wrote Article 50, says that he expects requests for extensions to Article 50 to be accepted by the EU if they are so that the UK can host another referendum.

"Extensions [to Article 50] to permit consulting of the country would be easily obtained," he says - and he adds that a second referendum "is now clearly the least worst option on the table".

He says it will be able to "clear the deadlock" in the Commons.

Conservative Lord Cormack says that "compromise is essential" but he does not agree with the concept of a second referendum.

He says the deal before Parliament "is not ideal" but "let us take what we have" and urges peers not to "delay and prolong" division in the UK.

Labour's Lord Grocott says that "a majority voted in good faith to leave the European Union," and asks if Parliament wants to say to people that "three years has not been long enough".

He criticises no deal warnings, saying it is "only a matter of time before" the Lords are warned about "an impending swarm of locusts". He adds that the People's Vote campaign has only one objective, which is to "overturn the vote of the people".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Tory MP Jonathan Djanogly says the referendum was "in or out, but it did not, as some insist, dictate the terms of our leaving or the terms our relationship".

This was left for Parliament to decide, he says - this is why he opposes a second referendum.

He supports the deal, which may not be perfect but was "always going to have to represent a compromise of views...no one was ever going to get everything they ever wanted".

"We should take the deal on offer. The mess and upset that would be caused by a hard Brexit would be unacceptable."

If the deal is rejected, he says he will do everything in his power to prevent a no deal Brexit, with the next best option Norway plus.

UK Parliament's photographer Jessica Taylor took these fantastic images during today's lively PMQs and the points of order following...

Image source, UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor

Image source, UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor

Image source, UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor

Image source, UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor