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Brexit: Irish PM hints extra EU summit might be needed because 'many issues' still to be resolved– live news Brexit: Irish PM hints extra EU summit might be needed because 'many issues' still to be resolved– live news
(32 minutes later)
From Reuters’ Peter Thal Larsen
Currency markets seem to think @tconnellyRTE is twice as credible as @DUPleader. Pound jumped 0.8% following Connelly's tweet, but only dropped 0.4% after Foster's denial.https://t.co/rNAoR0N3bThttps://t.co/SNVSLZGMwc pic.twitter.com/HRloMmg7x1
Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, has dismissed the report from RTE’s Tony Connelly (see 1.28pm) saying her party has agreed to what is being proposed on consent.
'EU sources' are talking nonsense. Discussions continue. Needs to be a sensible deal which unionists and nationalists can support. https://t.co/CpugVBfyBZ
On the World at One Andrew Bridgen, one of the 28 Tory “Spartans” who voted against Theresa May’s deal three times, said he thought the pro-remain opposition would try to seize control of the Commons timetable for Saturday to allow MPs to vote for a referendum on any Brexit deal secured by Boris Johnson. He said:
What they want is to humiliate the prime minister by preventing him from even bringing forward a vote on his deal, and forcing him to send the letter in line with the Benn Act ... They may well bring forward a confirmatory referendum which, in my view, would be disastrous.
Hilary Benn, the Labour chair of the Commons Brexit committee, was interviewed on the programme immediately after Bridgen. Asked if he knew whether what Bridgen was saying about opposition plans was correct, Benn at first did not answer the question directly. But he did say, if there were an agreement, he would expect to see it brought to the Commons on Saturday. When the presenter, Sarah Montague, asked a second time if Bridgen was right, Benn replied:
There are many MPs who are in favour of a confirmatory referendum, as am I. If the government brings a deal before the house on Saturday, then it would not surprise me at all if an effort were made to say, okay, but subject to a confirmatory referendum. That is not a surprise to anyone given the growing support that there is for that idea.
Asked if that would involved opposition MPs trying to take control of the order paper (by using standing order 24), as opposed to just tabling a confirmatory referendum amendment, Benn said that would depend on how the government planned to organise the vote for Saturday.
Earlier I quoted some ComRes poll claiming that more than half of voters want the UK to leave the EU. Other pollsters have criticised the way ComRes presented those findings, arguing that it was misleading because people were asked to choose between three options, not two. I have posted an updated at 9.56am explaining this. You may need to refresh the page to get it to appear.
It wouldn’t be Brexit if we didn’t have a contrary view. This is from the the Atlantic’s Tom McTague.
Understand this is premature and news to Downing Street: no DUP agreement on consent yet, per senior UK official (though it might happen, of course). Now at *very* delicate stage https://t.co/c4g9CtRfV4
From RTE’s Tony ConnellyFrom RTE’s Tony Connelly
BREAKING: two senior EU sources say the main stumbling block to a deal has been removed with the DUP accepting the latest proposals on consent... Optimism a deal can now be done...BREAKING: two senior EU sources say the main stumbling block to a deal has been removed with the DUP accepting the latest proposals on consent... Optimism a deal can now be done...
A fresh legal challenge to prevent the prime minister crashing out of the EU without a deal is to be heard in the London courts on Friday, the civil rights organisation Liberty has revealed.A fresh legal challenge to prevent the prime minister crashing out of the EU without a deal is to be heard in the London courts on Friday, the civil rights organisation Liberty has revealed.
The judicial review action, similar to the case already heard in Edinburgh, is an attempt to ensure that Boris Johnson respects the Benn Aact and seeks an extension to UK membership in the absence of an agreement with Brussels.The judicial review action, similar to the case already heard in Edinburgh, is an attempt to ensure that Boris Johnson respects the Benn Aact and seeks an extension to UK membership in the absence of an agreement with Brussels.
The case is due to be heard on Friday before three senior judges in the court of appeal. As well as Liberty, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has also submitted an application on behalf of three low-paid workers who, it is said, will suffer if there is a no-deal Brexit.The case is due to be heard on Friday before three senior judges in the court of appeal. As well as Liberty, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has also submitted an application on behalf of three low-paid workers who, it is said, will suffer if there is a no-deal Brexit.
Confirmation of the hearing signals a fresh round of Brexit-related legal battles in the courts. The Scottish hearing has effectively been stayed pending the outcome of this week’s negotations with the EU.Confirmation of the hearing signals a fresh round of Brexit-related legal battles in the courts. The Scottish hearing has effectively been stayed pending the outcome of this week’s negotations with the EU.
The Benn Aact, passed with the support of Labour and the broader rebel alliance in parliament, states that the government must ask the EU for an extension if MPs do not approve a Brexit deal by 19 October 19th.The Benn Aact, passed with the support of Labour and the broader rebel alliance in parliament, states that the government must ask the EU for an extension if MPs do not approve a Brexit deal by 19 October 19th.
Liberty launched its action last month after Johnson said he would flout the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act (also known as the ‘Benn Act’). The English courts have been significantly slower than their Scottish counterparts in agreeing to hear the claim.Liberty launched its action last month after Johnson said he would flout the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act (also known as the ‘Benn Act’). The English courts have been significantly slower than their Scottish counterparts in agreeing to hear the claim.
In her speech the former prime minister Theresa May said she was “a little concerned” by reports that the government will have different immigration rules for different regions of the country after Brexit. She said the idea that visas could be issued on condition that people went to work in a particular part of the country sounded like a system for “regional visas”. She went on:In her speech the former prime minister Theresa May said she was “a little concerned” by reports that the government will have different immigration rules for different regions of the country after Brexit. She said the idea that visas could be issued on condition that people went to work in a particular part of the country sounded like a system for “regional visas”. She went on:
I would urge [Priti Patel, the home secretary] to look very carefully at how that can operate logistically because it has some very real challenges. And, indeed, I hear from the SNP benches some muttering that it is an issue that has been rejected in the past by the independent migration advisory committee.I would urge [Priti Patel, the home secretary] to look very carefully at how that can operate logistically because it has some very real challenges. And, indeed, I hear from the SNP benches some muttering that it is an issue that has been rejected in the past by the independent migration advisory committee.
In the opening of her speech Theresa May said government should not just be about positive headlines and great oratory, PoliticsHome’s Matt Honeycombe-Foster reports.In the opening of her speech Theresa May said government should not just be about positive headlines and great oratory, PoliticsHome’s Matt Honeycombe-Foster reports.
THERESA MAY KLAXON. She's speaking in the Queen's Speech debate.Says government is not "about headlines"."You can have the best headlines and the greatest oratory and the most arresting phrases but they're of no use if they don't actually, practically deliver for people." pic.twitter.com/20O8qKddsLTHERESA MAY KLAXON. She's speaking in the Queen's Speech debate.Says government is not "about headlines"."You can have the best headlines and the greatest oratory and the most arresting phrases but they're of no use if they don't actually, practically deliver for people." pic.twitter.com/20O8qKddsL
That will obviously be seen as a dig at her successor, Boris Johnson, who is far better than May ever was at coining “arresting phrases”.That will obviously be seen as a dig at her successor, Boris Johnson, who is far better than May ever was at coining “arresting phrases”.
From the BBC’s Laura KuenssbergFrom the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg
No sense of imminent breakthrough after DUP meeting - still gaps and concerns, and not just on what happens around the border.. feels like long hard day for all concernedNo sense of imminent breakthrough after DUP meeting - still gaps and concerns, and not just on what happens around the border.. feels like long hard day for all concerned
Foster staying in London tho, so talks in all directions are still going on...far from resolution, but far from over tooFoster staying in London tho, so talks in all directions are still going on...far from resolution, but far from over too
The Times’s Brussels correspondent Bruno Waterfield has posted a useful Twitter thread on the state of play in the Brexit talks. It starts here.The Times’s Brussels correspondent Bruno Waterfield has posted a useful Twitter thread on the state of play in the Brexit talks. It starts here.
Hiccups in the Brexit talks which could go to the wire as late 5.30pm or so. Best case scenario is political agreement at #EUCO which means Brexit almost certainly will not happen on Oct 31Hiccups in the Brexit talks which could go to the wire as late 5.30pm or so. Best case scenario is political agreement at #EUCO which means Brexit almost certainly will not happen on Oct 31
This, from the Times’ Henry Zeffman, backs up the impression given by what Sammy Wilson was saying in the Commons Brexit committee hearing. (See 12.39am.)
Consent, not customs, is the sticking point between Johnson and the DUP now, according to a government source
This is not May’s first speech from the backbenches. She spoke recently in the second reading debate on the domestic abuse bill, which was her first Commons speech as a backbencher since her resignation in July.
In the Commons Theresa May, the former prime minister, has just started speaking in the Queen’s speech debate.
At the moment she is having a go at Brexit - rehearsing the ancient arguments about whether the last Labour government spent too much ahead of the financial crash.
From the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg
EU ambassadors meeting has been moved back until 5pm, 4 UK time
Sammy Wilson, the DUP’s Brexit spokesman, used his questions to Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, in the Brexit committee hearing to spell out in some details the DUP’s objections to the plan for a replacement to the backstop being negotiated by the UK and the EU.
He did not say his party would oppose the plan (the full details of which have yet to be revealed) in all circumstances. But he sounded sceptical, particularly on the latest thinking on “consent”. (Some commentary has implied that the most serious problems relate to customs, but Wilson’s questioning implied consent could turn out to be more of a stumbling block.)
Here are the key points Wilson made.
Wilson claimed that removing what was seen as the DUP veto over the arrangements would breach the Good Friday agreement (or the Belfast agreement, as unionists like Wilson call it). The Northern Ireland assembly has a “petition of concern” process that means key decisions have to have significant support from both unionists and nationalists in the assembly. In practice, this means the DUP and Sinn Fein both get a veto. Sinn Fein wants Northern Ireland to be aligned with Ireland and the EU, and so in practice, when Boris Johnson put forward double-majority consent plans in his paper (pdf) earlier this month, he was proposing a DUP veto. The Irish government and the non-unionist parties in Northern Ireland said this was unacceptable, and Johnson is now said to be looking at another “consent” mechanism - perhaps a simple majority in the assembly. Wilson said this would be contrary to the Good Friday agreement, because the agreement includes the principle of “cross-community consent”. He said abandoning the current plan (ie, the one giving the DUP a veto) would be:
Not just against the spirit of the [Good Friday] agreement, but it is explicitly against the terms of the agreement.
Wilson repeatedly asked for an assurance that the government would not consent mechanism involving just a simple majority in the assembly. And he told Barclay:
What we are told time and time again in this committee [is that the Good Friday agreement] is an internationally binding agreement which, very clearly - in fact, in very explicit and detailed terms - sets out how cross-community support has to be measured in the the assembly. So all I want to hear from you today are that the terms of the Belfast agreement ... will be the terms on which consent for opting into arrangements which diminish the powers of the Northern Ireland assembly, which will treat Northern Ireland differently, to a certain extent, from the rest of the United Kingdom, that that consent by sought on the basis of the agreement.
Barclay failed to give Wilson the assurance that he wanted. He just said the government was committed to the Good Friday agreement.
Wilson said the plan being considered by the government would “diminish” the powers of the Northern Ireland assembly. (See quote above.) He made this point even though the assembly has been suspended for almost three years.
He said he hoped the government was not planning to keep Northern Ireland in the EU customs union for practical purposes. Talking about this idea, he said:
I hope that first of all the government is not contemplating that.
This sounded like a ritual objection. Everyone knows that is exactly what the government is now considering.
He quoted figures saying including Northern Ireland in the EU customs union for practical purposes could cost Northern Irish businesses an extra £500m.
He signalled that Northern Ireland businesses would expect compensation for these extra costs. Barclay said the government was planning a new deal for Northern Ireland, but that did not seem to satisfy Wilson.
Wilson said he was worried EU state aid rules could prevent compensation being paid in these circumstances. He said:
One of the suggestions that has been made is that, if there are additional costs, Northern Ireland could be compensated for those additional costs. If we sign up to abiding by some EU regulations, then state aid rules would apply and support could not be given to businesses which were caught with those additional costs.
Barclay did not specifically address this point, although he said the government wanted a new deal for Northern Ireland.
Wilson demanded details of exactly what new infrastructure would be needed for imposing customs checks on goods going from Britain to Northern Ireland would work. Barclay said he could not give details at this point.
The Stephen Barclay hearing is now over.
The most significant points were made not by Barclay himself, who studiously avoided saying anything very revealing about the detail of the ongoing Brexit talks, but by Sammy Wilson, the DUP’s Brexit spokesman.
I will post the key quotes in a moment, but the Times’ Steven Swinford has the gist of it here.
So while Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds are in No 10, Sammy Wilson is raising significant concerns:* Consent *must* be based on cross-community double majority* Deal will 'diminish' NI Assembly* Customs checks will lead to 'impediments' to trade between GB & NI
Q: By Saturday will we have clarity on what infrastructure might be in place under these plans?
Barclay says the first thing to do is to get a deal. After that, there will be an urgent need to bring the matter back to the Commons, and to then inform MPs.
Q: Is it government policy to oppose customs checks in the Irish Sea?
Barclay says the government says Northern Ireland must be part of UK customs territory.
As for the details, those are part of the negotiations. It would be better to discuss them when there is “further clarity”, he says.
In the Brexit committee Sammy Wilson, the DUP Brexit spokesman, is asking about customs arrangements.
Q: What assessment has the government made of the impact of imposing EU tariffs on goods coming to Northern Ireland from Great Britain?
Barclay says the negotiations are still ongoing.
The government wants to understand the impact of any such plan.
These ideas are subject to “live discussions”, he says. He says it would not be appropriate to go further.
Q: Would Northern Ireland businesses be compensated?
Barclay says the government has already proposed a new deal for Northern Ireland. This is part of the PM’s desire to “level up” those parts of the UK that are less prosperous.
Jeremy Corbyn is playing down suggestions that he could remove the whip from any Labour MP who votes for Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, the BBC’s Norman Smith reports.
Jeremy Corbyn plays down claims he might remove whip from Labour MPs who back a Boris Johnson Brexit deal
"I believe in persuasion rather than threats," says @jeremycorbyn on claims he cd remove whip from Labour MPs who support Brexit deal.
If Labour MPs were to lose the whip for voting with the government on this, they would be unable to stand for the party as a candidate at the next election.
Nineteen Labour MPs recently signed an open letter saying that they were opposed to extending Brexit (Labour’s official policy) and that they wanted to vote for a deal. No 10 hopes many or all of these MPs might back a deal, potentially compensating for the lack of DUP support.
From my colleague Rowena Mason
Cabinet now meeting earlier at 2.30pm. Noises still quite negative from the UK side re getting the DUP on board. PM's official spokesman says "issues remain to be resolved" although he insists some progress was made overnight.