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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Theresa May warned Brexit pact with Corbyn could tear Tories apart | Theresa May warned Brexit pact with Corbyn could tear Tories apart |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Theresa May has been warned that a pact with Jeremy Corbyn to deliver a Brexit deal could destroy the Conservative party, as Eurosceptic MPs reacted with horror to her offer to work with Labour. | Theresa May has been warned that a pact with Jeremy Corbyn to deliver a Brexit deal could destroy the Conservative party, as Eurosceptic MPs reacted with horror to her offer to work with Labour. |
| Dozens of pro-Brexit Conservatives lined up to condemn the proposal from the prime minister, which could involve tearing up a manifesto commitment not to pursue a customs union. | Dozens of pro-Brexit Conservatives lined up to condemn the proposal from the prime minister, which could involve tearing up a manifesto commitment not to pursue a customs union. |
| Nigel Adams, a government whip, quit his job in protest at May trying to “cook up a deal with a Marxist”. | Nigel Adams, a government whip, quit his job in protest at May trying to “cook up a deal with a Marxist”. |
| Brexit: Junior minister resigns over May's 'grave error' in seeking deal with Corbyn – live news | |
| May wrote to all Conservative MPs on Wednesday morning explaining her decision, blaming the failure of the Democratic Unionist party and leave-supporting backbenchers to support her deal. | |
| “The question is how can we get parliament to ratify the deal? The government would have preferred to do so based on Conservative and DUP votes. But, having tried three times, it is clear that is unlikely to happen,” she said. | |
| She added: “I realise some of you will be concerned about the government discussing the way forward with the opposition. However, with some colleagues unwilling to support the government in the division lobbies, this is the only way to deliver the smooth, orderly Brexit that we promised and for which the British people voted.” | |
| May and Corbyn were due to hold talks later on Wednesday with the possibility of hammering out a common position by the end of the week. Any deal would then be presented to the EU at a summit next week with the aim of leaving on 22 May and avoiding European parliamentary elections. | May and Corbyn were due to hold talks later on Wednesday with the possibility of hammering out a common position by the end of the week. Any deal would then be presented to the EU at a summit next week with the aim of leaving on 22 May and avoiding European parliamentary elections. |
| If that fails, No 10 will move to holding a series of votes in parliament on options, including a runoff between her deal and alternatives such as a customs union, while agreeing to abide by the results. | If that fails, No 10 will move to holding a series of votes in parliament on options, including a runoff between her deal and alternatives such as a customs union, while agreeing to abide by the results. |
| 'Jezz the two of us': what the papers said about May's overture to Corbyn | 'Jezz the two of us': what the papers said about May's overture to Corbyn |
| Corbyn said he was “very happy” to talk to May about Labour’s vision for Brexit, which would include a permanent customs union and stronger workers’ rights protections. However, he will face a dilemma over whether to push for any deal to be put to a public vote through a second referendum, a key demand of many senior figures in his party and many of its members. | |
| At the same time, Steve Barclay, the Brexit secretary, suggested there may be limited appetite for a compromise on the Conservative side, while insisting the talks were being pursued in good faith. | At the same time, Steve Barclay, the Brexit secretary, suggested there may be limited appetite for a compromise on the Conservative side, while insisting the talks were being pursued in good faith. |
| “I personally think a customs union is highly undesirable. We’re not setting preconditions, but nor is this a blank cheque,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. | |
| Barclay did not rule out giving in to demands for a second referendum, later telling MPs: “I don’t think we should have a second referendum because it takes us back to square one, is my personal view, but the prime minister will have discussions and we will see where they lead.” | |
| To those Conservatives complaining about May’s move, he said there was a “remorseless logic” to reaching out for Labour votes when 35 Conservatives had refused to back the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement three times. | To those Conservatives complaining about May’s move, he said there was a “remorseless logic” to reaching out for Labour votes when 35 Conservatives had refused to back the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement three times. |
| Tory Eurosceptic MPs erupted in fury at the offer to Corbyn, with condemnation from those who had backed May’s deal, including Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg and many others who had been holding out against it. | |
| Rees-Mogg, the leader of the European Research Group, said: “The process is now being taken control of entirely by people who backed remain.” | Rees-Mogg, the leader of the European Research Group, said: “The process is now being taken control of entirely by people who backed remain.” |
| He told Today that leave voters were being “disenfranchised”. | He told Today that leave voters were being “disenfranchised”. |
| Look past the May-Corbyn Brexit talks. There’s another solution | Jonathan Freedland | |
| Stewart Jackson, a former Tory MP and Brexit adviser, suggested a fresh move be made against May. “Isn’t it time Graham Brady and the executive committee of the 1922 reviewed the rules and instigated a fresh leadership ballot? May has no mandate to pursue the Corbyn pact,” she said. | |
| Andrea Jenkyns, a hardline Tory Eurosceptic who refused to back May’s deal, did not rule out voting against the prime minister in a no-confidence motion, saying it would “take a lot of thinking about”. | Andrea Jenkyns, a hardline Tory Eurosceptic who refused to back May’s deal, did not rule out voting against the prime minister in a no-confidence motion, saying it would “take a lot of thinking about”. |
| Another Tory MP, Marcus Fysh, said: “The cabinet and PM have demonstrated again today that they are on the wrong path. There is a great future ahead but it needs courage and understanding, not fear and vacillation.” | Another Tory MP, Marcus Fysh, said: “The cabinet and PM have demonstrated again today that they are on the wrong path. There is a great future ahead but it needs courage and understanding, not fear and vacillation.” |
| Eurosceptic cabinet ministers are not resigning as yet, preferring to hold a meeting of the so-called pizza club of Brexiters and waiting to see the outcome of talks with Labour. One cabinet source said they were very sceptical any deal with Corbyn would actually be struck and were therefore keeping quiet for now. | |
| There is also caution on the Labour side, with some internally warning against falling for a Tory trap that ties them into voting for a damaging Brexit. | There is also caution on the Labour side, with some internally warning against falling for a Tory trap that ties them into voting for a damaging Brexit. |
| Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, said Corbyn would approach the offer “with an open mind” and willingness to find a compromise. But she highlighted the need to make sure any political declaration agreed was binding, saying it must not be merely a “gentlemen’s agreement” that set ambitions for the next phase. | Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, said Corbyn would approach the offer “with an open mind” and willingness to find a compromise. But she highlighted the need to make sure any political declaration agreed was binding, saying it must not be merely a “gentlemen’s agreement” that set ambitions for the next phase. |
| Long-Bailey also suggested Corbyn may not push for a second referendum in talks with May. “If we get exactly what we want, and we have a good strong deal, I would struggle to find a reason to put that to a public vote,” she said. | |
| Labour sources highlighted the difficulty of achieving a guarantee that any future prime minister could try to take Brexit in a different direction during the second phase of negotiation on the future relationship with the EU. | Labour sources highlighted the difficulty of achieving a guarantee that any future prime minister could try to take Brexit in a different direction during the second phase of negotiation on the future relationship with the EU. |
| What is Theresa May's new plan for Brexit? | |
| A cross-party group of MPs had been planning to force May to request an extension to article 50 through legislation and hold indicative votes on the alternatives but that plan has partially been overtaken by events. | |
| The Tory former minister Sir Oliver Letwin, who was proposing the bill with Labour’s Yvette Cooper, said they would press ahead with the plan but acknowledged the backdrop was now completely different and he would try to work with the government to make the legislation the vehicle for a compromise. | |
| He welcomed May’s move and said he believed Corbyn was “somebody we could do business with”. | |
| But Priti Patel, a Conservative former cabinet minister, was scathing about May’s offer to find a compromise. “A man who sides with terrorists and socialist dictators, would surrender our nuclear deterrent, has let antisemitism run rife in his party and would bankrupt Britain has now been given the keys to Brexit,” she tweeted. | |
| Conservatives | Conservatives |
| Labour | Labour |
| Theresa May | Theresa May |
| Jeremy Corbyn | Jeremy Corbyn |
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