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| PMQs live: Theresa May to face Jeremy Corbyn before vote on Brexit bill | PMQs live: Theresa May to face Jeremy Corbyn before vote on Brexit bill |
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| Welcome to The Independent’s live blog of Prime Minister’s Questions and the second day of debates, including a vote, on the Government’s EU Withdrawal Bill – the legislation needed to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. | |
| Here are the latest updates: | Here are the latest updates: |
| Welcome to The Independent’s live blog of Prime Minister’s Questions and the second day of debates, including a vote, on the Government’s EU Withdrawal Bill – the legislation needed to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. | |
| During the first 12 hours of debates on Tuesday – at one point the Speaker John Bercow told MPs to stop asking him “am I permitted to eat a biscuit” and “may I have a cup of tea” – over 90 MPs gave their views on the Government’s Bill and Britain’s decision to leave the EU in general. | During the first 12 hours of debates on Tuesday – at one point the Speaker John Bercow told MPs to stop asking him “am I permitted to eat a biscuit” and “may I have a cup of tea” – over 90 MPs gave their views on the Government’s Bill and Britain’s decision to leave the EU in general. |
| But Ken Clarke, the former Conservative Cabinet minister, who was one of the first to speak, probably stole the limelight with an impassioned speech. His 18 minutes in the Commons, without notes, was typically pro-European and as expected he signalled he would vote against invoking Article 50 – the only Conservative MP to do so on record. But he also used his speech to criticise his own party, suggesting even Enoch Powell would be surprised by the current state of the Tory party and its “anti-immigrant” stance. | But Ken Clarke, the former Conservative Cabinet minister, who was one of the first to speak, probably stole the limelight with an impassioned speech. His 18 minutes in the Commons, without notes, was typically pro-European and as expected he signalled he would vote against invoking Article 50 – the only Conservative MP to do so on record. But he also used his speech to criticise his own party, suggesting even Enoch Powell would be surprised by the current state of the Tory party and its “anti-immigrant” stance. |
| Referencing the anti-immigrant former Tory MP Mr Powell, whom he called “the best speaker of the Eurosceptic cause”, Mr Clarke said: “If he was here he would probably find it amazing to believe that his party had become Eurosceptic and rather mildly anti-immigrant in a very strange way in 2016. I’m afraid on that I haven’t followed them – and I don’t intend to do so.” | Referencing the anti-immigrant former Tory MP Mr Powell, whom he called “the best speaker of the Eurosceptic cause”, Mr Clarke said: “If he was here he would probably find it amazing to believe that his party had become Eurosceptic and rather mildly anti-immigrant in a very strange way in 2016. I’m afraid on that I haven’t followed them – and I don’t intend to do so.” |
| The Bill is likely to feature in PMQ’s today but whether Jeremy Corbyn will devote one his questions to it is not certain, considering internal divisions in Labour and resignations over Article 50. He could use Donald Trump’s promised state visit – and his immigration ban – to unite the Labour benches and put the Prime Minister in an uncomfortable situation. He is likely to probe when Ms May first heard news of the President’s executive order. | The Bill is likely to feature in PMQ’s today but whether Jeremy Corbyn will devote one his questions to it is not certain, considering internal divisions in Labour and resignations over Article 50. He could use Donald Trump’s promised state visit – and his immigration ban – to unite the Labour benches and put the Prime Minister in an uncomfortable situation. He is likely to probe when Ms May first heard news of the President’s executive order. |