House of Commons
Parliament

Michael Gove has taken to the dispatch box to detail the preparations the government has made for leaving the EU without a deal.

He tells MPs it is "the strong desire of this government to leave the EU with a deal", and commended the work of the PM and Brexit secretary.

The UK has offered a "fair and reasonable compromise" and he "hopes the EU will enage with us seriously", says the minister, adding: "We have moved, it is now time for the EU to move too."

A UK spokesperson says Brexit talks in Brussels "are reaching a critical point".

"The UK has moved a long way and now we need to see movement from the EU side," the spokesperson says.

"Today’s technical discussions are continuing to find a resolution ahead of the European Council.”

The next EU summit is on 17 and 18 October.

House of Commons
Parliament

Treasury minister Jesse Norman says Labour's John McDonnell was wrong to say the cost to business of a no-deal Brexit would be £15bn annually in extra red tape.

The actual cost would be £7.5bn, Mr Norman tells MPs.

Referring to the government's latest no-deal preparation documents, he says: "It says, perfectly clearly at the bottom of page nine as I have it printed out, it says that the latest estimate for the annual administrative burden is £7.5bn updated to reflect the 2017 data."

He adds: "I'm in no sense happy about that."

Mr Norman says the government wants to leave with a deal, adding: "All his (Mr McDonnell's) party has to do is support the perfectly sensible series of deals that have been put forward in front of this parliament and they would have a deal."

Image source, Getty Images

Parliament is expected to be suspended later, ahead of a Queen's Speech - to set out the government's plans - next Monday.

It comes two weeks after the UK Supreme Court said the government's previous attempt to prorogue Parliament was unlawful.

So, why could the government closing Parliament for a second time?

Read more in our explainer.

Image source, PA Media

The pound has continued to fall amid the deadlock over Brexit.

It is down 0.59% against the dollar at $1.2220. Against the euro it has dropped 0.73% to €1.1123.

Following the publication of the government's "no-deal readiness" document, external, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, Adam Marshall, says: "It's good that government has got its shoulder to the wheel, but it's going to have to push a lot harder to give businesses answers to the many complex and detailed questions they have in order to trade successfully in the event of an unwanted no-deal exit.

"Business concern about an unwanted no-deal exit is rising, particularly given developments over recent days.

"Both sides need to redouble their commitment and do everything in their power to avoid this in the short time we have left - it's in all our interests."

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell says a no-deal Brexit would create an "avalanche of paperwork" which will harm British businesses.

Mr McDonnell tells MPs: "The government's own assessment shows that their no-deal Brexit policy would introduce, and I quote from the assessment: 'Significant ongoing administrative costs impacting on the UK and the EU business of all sectors'.

"It's an avalanche of paperwork descending on British businesses in the form of import, export, safety and security declarations.

"The burden will cost our business sector an annual £15bn in administrative costs."

He adds: "This doesn't even include the costs of complying with the new VAT procedures, which will hit our vital service companies.

"All this to pursue the hardest possible Tory no-deal Brexit."

In Edinburgh, a hearing is continuing at which campaigners are asking Scotland’s highest civil court to use a special procedure to ensure the terms of the Benn Act are followed.

The Act, passed last month, forces Boris Johnson to seek another Brexit delay if a deal, or a no-deal exit, has not been approved by Parliament by 19 October.

Campaigners are worried this clashes with the PM's stated desire to leave by 31 October in all circumstances, and are asking if the Court of Session could make the request on his behalf.

The government's lawyer argued the Act allows the government to say that Brexit would happen at the end of October, but did not require it to reveal how it would be done lawfully.

More on that anonymous briefing to The Spectator magazine, external, from a Downing Street source - widely believed at Westminster to be Dominic Cummings.

In the 700-word text message string, sent on Monday evening to political editor James Forsyth, the source says the UK would refuse to work with EU countries that accept a delay to Article 50, the mechanism taking the country of the EU.

The memo also sets out how the government plans to “scupper” the Benn Act that blocks a no-deal Brexit. And there is a suggestion that security co-operation with countries who blocked a no-deal exit would be affected.

Downing Street is attempting to pour cold water over talk of the UK withdrawing security co-operation.

A spokesman said: "The PM has set out clearly on any number of occasions that we continue to have a close security partnership with our EU colleagues.

"I've no knowledge on what that is based upon."

Downing Street is also insisting that the UK has not contacted possible EU allies about vetoing any extension to Article 50.

Asked whether approaches had been made, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "No."

The political parties in Northern Ireland have clashed following Angela Merkel's reported remark that a Brexit deal was on the "overwhelmingly unlikely" on the basis of the PM's current proposals.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said it shows that the EU is "not interested" in a negotiated outcome.

"The prime minister's proposals have flushed out Dublin's real intentions to trap Northern Ireland in the EU customs union forever, where Dublin rather than the United Kingdom's elected representatives would be in the driving seat," she said in a statement.

However, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the detail of the phone call between the prime minister and German chancellor showed that EU leaders are "more in tune" with people in Northern Ireland than Downing Street or the DUP.

"Angela Merkel is right. Retaining membership of the customs union and the single market is the only solution that prevents a hard border on this island," he said.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

Conservative Brexiteer Crispin Blunt has accused European Council President Donald Tusk of "playing a blame game" over the Brexit talks.

Of course, this is exactly what Mr Tusk accused Boris Johnson of earlier, after a No 10 source gave their account of Boris Johnson's phone call with Angela Merkel.

Mr Blunt tells the BBC the EU "haven't engaged" with the UK's new plan for the Irish border, which he calls a "proper, sensible policy".

Scotland's Court of Session is considering whether it should act directly if Boris Johnson does not.

BBC News Channel

Tory MP Steve Baker, the chairman of the Brexit-supporting European Research Group, says Boris Johnson's tactics in his negotiations with the EU were "absolutely right".

"We could never accept the EU having a veto on us leaving the customs union", adding the PM "made a fair and reasonable proposal to go forward.

"All of us should be working hard to avoid bad blood - the EU has a treaty obligation to seek a good friendly zone with countries around it... there is a landing zone but we just have to get beyond this idea that the EU can demand Northern Ireland for the price of leaving."

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman tells journalists at a Westminster briefing: "The prime minister's position is a clear one.

"The UK needs to leave the EU in its entirety and it is not acceptable for Northern Ireland to be left behind in a customs union.

"I don't think the prime minister could have been any clearer on that."

Image source, UK POOL

Labour's Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer has accused the government of “engaging in a reckless blame game” and putting forward Brexit proposals to “that were designed to fail”.

Sir Keir said ministers were "collapsing talks” rather than adjusting their position.

He said the “focus of Parliament" is on ensuring the PM follows the Benn Act, which forces him to request another Brexit delay if neither a new deal or a no-deal exit has been approved by MPs by 19 October.

Discussions between opposition MPs about who should lead an interim government if Boris Johnson is defeated in a no-confidence vote are "fantasy politics", he added.

The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman has described the half hour conversation Boris Johnson had with Chancellor Angela Merkel this morning as "frank".

He says "the talks are at a crucial point," but denies they are over.

Asked about EU Commission President Donald Tusk's tweet accusing Mr Johnson of indulging in a "stupid blame game," the spokesman replied: "Absolutely not. It’s not us using that kind of language."

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman appears to be striking a more emollient tone than the Downing Street source who earlier gave an account of the phone call to journalists, suggesting the talks were effectively over.

Enhanced customs checks mean HGVs will be turned away from ports if their paperwork is not right.