Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
THERESA MAY HAS said that she still plans to put the twice-rejected Withdrawal Agreement before the House of Commons this week, as she continues efforts to persuade Tory, DUP and at least a few Labour MPs to switch sides.
In a much-anticipated statement, May said:
That she’s “skeptical” of indicative votes, and won’t be promoting that route
That no deal won’t happen unless the House of Commons votes for it
That the Withdrawal Agreement won’t be renegotiated.
Meanwhile, MPs will vote today on allowing parliament to take control of Commons business for a series of indicative votes on Wednesday.
It all comes as the clock continues to tick down to the revised cliff-edge deadline of 12 April (or 22 May, if the Prime Minister manages to get her deal passed this week).
Welcome to another afternoon of live Brexit coverage.
We’re expecting to hear an update from the British Prime Minister in the Commons at around 3.30pm.
Later on, MPs will start debating the government’s motion on the Withdrawal Agreement as well as seven amendments that have been tabled, including one that could see a series of indicative votes on how to move Brexit forward.
It could be a late one – votes are scheduled for 10pm tonight, including that one on clearing business for the indicative votes on Wednesday.
Earlier the European Commission said it had completed preparations for a no-deal Brexit, noting “it is increasingly likely that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union without a deal on 12 April”.
“While the European Union 🇪🇺 continues to hope that it will not be the case, if the Withdrawal Agreement is not ratified by Friday 29 March, a “no-deal” scenario may occur on 12 April.”
Political Correspondent Christina Finn here with you this afternoon. So another day, and yet more unpredictable Brexit happenings.
While May had a Cabinet meeting today, the European Commission said it has completed preparations for a no-deal Brexit, noting “it is increasingly likely that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union without a deal on 12 April”.
The Commission warned that such a scenario could lead to delays at borders, ports and airports.
While May was battling for her own future as prime minister last night, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was hanging out with RTÉ’s Strictly Come Dancing crew for the show’s finale.
No doubt May would have preferred to be spending her evening enjoying some dancing, instead she was scrambling to keep her own ministers on side.
The Sunday Times yesterday reported she was “at the mercy of a full-blown cabinet coup”, with plans afoot for her de facto deputy David Lidington to take over in a caretaker capacity.
The newspaper said it had spoken to 11 senior ministers who “confirmed that they wanted the prime minister to make way for someone else” and planned to confront her at today’s Cabinet meeting.
May worsened relations with many MPs last week after she hit out at them in a speech.
Sky News is reporting that a spokesperson for the DUP states that the party’s stance on the draft Brexit deal remains unchanged after a phone call took place between Theresa May and Arlene Foster.
Sam Boal
Sam Boal
That’s not surprising. as DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said the same thing at the Fine Gael National Conference over the weekend.
Donaldson said on Saturday that he does not expect his view on the Brexit deal to change.
“I’m not here to change anyone’s view and don’t expect my view to change either.”
During his address to the Fine Gael National Conference, he also said:
“I would say to my friends in Fine Gael, let’s try to work this out.”
He acknowledged there is a difference of opinions, stating: “We are on different sides on Brexit, that’s for sure”.
Hello, Gráinne Ní Aodha here taking over the Liveblog just ahead of Theresa May’s statement to the House of Commons at 3.30pm.
She’s just met with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – the BBC’s Iain Watson says that she’s still not sure whether she’ll hold a Meaningful Vote 3… which was retweeted by Brexiteer Steve Baker.
I understand @theresa_may told @jeremycorbyn she hadn't decided on whether to bring back the #meaningfulvote and that govt wouldn't be bound by result of indicative votes
Today in the Commons, we're expecting a statement from @theresa_may on last week's @EUCouncil meeting, followed by a #BrexitNextSteps debate with votes expected from 10pm. First though, we have #DefenceQuestions at 2.30pm.
A number of debates and votes are due to take place after the Prime Minister’s statement, so from about 4.30pm until 10pm tonight.
The Prime Minister has put forward the following “neutral” motion, to allow MPs to debate and vote on their own amendments about what direction to take Brexit:
That this House, in accordance with the provisions of section 13(6)(a) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, has considered the Written Statement titled “Statement under Section 13(4) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018” and made on Friday 15 March 2019.
Theresa May is speaking in the House of Commons. She says she will work towards bringing forward a Meaningful Vote 3 this week.
She also said: “I explained [to the EU] that some members of parliament want to make changes to the Withdrawal Agreement”.
“Whatever is decided this week, changing the Withdrawal Agreement is simply not an option,” she said.
If the House does not approve the Withdrawal Agreement, there will either me a no-deal Brexit or another extension, and if there’s an extension then the UK will have to take part in the European elections.
25 Mar 2019
3:38PM
May says she is “skeptical” about the process of indicative votes as in the past:
“…it has led to contradictory outcomes or no outcomes at all.”
She says that it could also lead to an outcome that the EU flatly refuses, and leaves them exactly where they stood before the indicative votes.
25 Mar 2019
3:41PM
“People of all sides of the debate holds passionate views,” May says, speaking about her controversial plea to the British people last week where she blamed MPs for the political impasse over Brexit.
“I hope we can all agree we are at a moment of decision,” May said, trying to placate her parliament. She continued:
…No Brexit must not happen… and a slow Brexit beyond the 22 May is not a Brexit which will bring the British people together. I know the deal is a compromise… but if the House can back it we will be out of the European Union in 2 months.
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn both saying the same thing in the House of Commons, as they urge MPs to take responsibility for the Brexit process… they’re fighting on everything else, though.
Interesting that Jeremy Corbyn praised those who marched for a second referendum at the weekend and who signed a petition to reverse Brexit. (He’s been famously lukewarm on whether the UK should leave the EU or not.)
May criticises the Labour leader for not attending that same march.
Theresa May speaks in the House of Commons today. PA Wire / PA Images
PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images
So, highlights from that speech from May:
She will bring her Brexit deal before the House of Commons this week
But, she won’t bring it before the House tomorrow
She’s “skeptical”of indicative votes, and won’t be promoting that route
She says that the Withdrawal Agreement won’t be renegotiated.
Significant lines:
“Unless this House agrees to it, no deal will not happen.”
“A slow Brexit beyond the 22 May is not a Brexit which will bring the British people together.”
25 Mar 2019
4:01PM
As things stand, there isn’t support for a Meaningful Vote but she is continuing to speak to her colleagues, May says.
When asked special arrangements that will need to be put in place to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, as stated by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, May dodges the question and said (paraphrased):
“Further work is required, a release by the European Commission today said that their rules will need to be enforced.”
25 Mar 2019
4:12PM
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds asks Theresa May why May agreed to the “bedeviled” backstop in the first place.
Dodds also says that Leo Varadkar and the EU have said that there will be no border in Northern Ireland, so there’s no need for the backstop. May answers:
A number of statements have been made from individuals about the border in Northern Ireland. When you look at the detail of what the EU have said, they have made it clear that EU law would need to be adhered to in a no-deal.
The UK government has agreed that there would be “minimal checks with exceptions” for a temporary period, “but the legal position is a different one”.
“The EU has been clear that EU law would need to be applied in all these circumstances.”
25 Mar 2019
4:14PM
Theresa May has said that Westminster will take control of Northern Ireland in the case of a no-deal Brexit for “direct decision-making” on some affairs.
“If there is no Stormont government, if powers are needed, and ministerial direction is needed which is not available to civil servants, it would require some direct application of powers here in Westminster.”
But it is with great regret that I have had to conclude that as things stand, there is still not sufficient support in the House to bring back the deal for a third Meaningful Vote. I continue to have discussions with colleagues across the House to build support, so that we can bring the vote forward this week, and guarantee Brexit.
I must confess that I am sceptical about such a process of indicative votes.
The default outcome continues to be to leave with No Deal.
BUT:
Unless this House agrees to it, No Deal will not happen. No Brexit must not happen.
And a slow Brexit which extends Article 50 beyond 22nd May, forces the British people to take part in European Elections and gives up control of any of our borders, laws, money or trade is not a Brexit that will bring the British people together.
So whatever happens, the 12 April is now the new leave date for the UK. So nothing will happen on 29 March.
There’s work underway to change the legislation that’s already been drafted, but because the new leave date depends on whether May’s deal is passed (12 April if it isn’t passed, 22 May if it is), that bit has yet to be filled in.
The Statutory Instrument to amend the definition of ‘Exit Day’ for #Brexit has been laid (debates and votes on it this week).
Today, Kate Hoey said in the House of Commons that a no-deal Brexit isn’t no deal, but “a different type of deal”, echoing what Boris Johnson said in the Telegraph today:
I also assumed that this disruption would be minimal or non-existent, because both sides would show common sense, and that there would be no immediate tariffs or quotas or barriers to trade, and that we would come out with an agreement to protract the existing arrangements until we could finalise a new Free Trade Deal.
I assumed that we would leave not exactly with “no deal” – but not with this deal.
25 Mar 2019
5:17PM
Meanwhile, the EU is in “intense discussions” with the Irish government about the Irish border in a no-deal Brexit scenario.
EU officials said that these talks would intensify over the coming days. Officials said that the EU “doesn’t want physical infrastructure on the border”, and described the issue as “complex” and “important”.
EU officials said that they are in discussions to ensure there is as little disruption to cross-border trade as possible, but added that it is “of course different from the Withdrawal Agreement”, adding that “it’s certainly high-time” that all EU member states are prepared.
Meanwhile, a House of Cards-esque leadership challenge is coming to a boil…
Theresa May asked if she intends to lead the next phase of Brexit negotiations, says: ‘There is a job to be done and I am continuing to do that job.’ Which is not a ‘yes’.
Enjoyable shade about one of May’s most loyal ministers, who is among those tipped for the leadership.
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
25 Mar 2019
5:42PM
House Speaker John Bercow has just selected amendments (d), (a) and (f) for a vote tonight, scheduled for 10pm.
25 Mar 2019
5:43PM
Here’s Amendment (d), by the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn:
“Line 1, leave out from “House” to end and add “notes the Government’s Withdrawal Agreement and Framework for the Future Relationship have been defeated for a second time; further notes the alternative proposals being proposed across this House including Her Majesty’s Opposition’s plan, Common Market 2.0, for a customs union, and for a public vote; and calls on the Government to provide sufficient parliamentary time this week for this House to find a majority for a different approach.”
25 Mar 2019
5:48PM
Here’s Amendment (a), tabled by Tory MP Sir Oliver Letwin, and known as the Letwin amendment. In short, it calls for a series of indicative votes to take place on Wednesday.
It doesn’t specify what options will be voted on, or how the votes will take place. It should be added that Theresa May wouldn’t be bound by the result of any of these votes, but if she were to go against the majority in the House of Commons, it could spark the DUP to collapse her government.
This is the start of the lengthy amendment:
At end, add “and, given the need for the House to debate and vote on alternative ways forward, with a view to the Government putting forward a plan for the House to debate and vote on, orders that –
(a) Standing Order No. 14(1) (which provides that government business shall have precedence at every sitting save as provided in that order) shall not apply on Wednesday 27 March;
25 Mar 2019
5:51PM
And finally, Amendment (f). This has been tabled by Margaret Beckett, and is supported by Anna Soubry:
At end, add “and orders that, in the event that the UK comes within seven calendar days of leaving the European Union without a deal, the Government must make arrangements within two sitting days, or if this House has been adjourned for more than four days to arrange for the House to be recalled under Standing Order No. 13 (Earlier meeting of the House in certain circumstances) for this purpose, for a Minister of the Crown to move a motion on whether this House approves the UK leaving the EU without a deal and on whether the UK Government should be required to request an extension of the period in Article 50(3) of the Treaty on European Union in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit and to give time for Parliament to determine a different approach.”
Anti-Brexit demonstrators who are constantly camped outside Westminster are chanting to the tune of Westminster Abbey’s bells. Fun.
The bells of Westminster Abbey follow the chant 'You can shove your Brexit up your arse' from @snb19692 and his band of followers, wafting in on the spring breeze from across Parliament Square. What a time to be alive!
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
25 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
@Anthony: many people who championed Brexit are still very much in situ. There had to be a referendum, Tony Blair had promised one and the anger was palpable when he reneged; Gordon Brown promised one before another treaty was signed, but he reneged too and the anger grew more. There was no way it could be ignored much longer, the time had come to ask the people.
@MickN: what does it mean? You seem to be ignoring the fact 17.4 million people voted to leave, the DUP could not manufacture this and they are being held out as the villains, somewhat unfairly. People in Ireland need to remember the British relationship with the EU is very very different to that of Ireland’s.
@Skybloo:
Kind of think you could be right… May’s Deal gets rejected and then there will be a show down between :
No Deal and 2nd Referendum of (No Deal v Remain)…
DUP finally realising that Northern Ireland is not a priority to Great Britain. The UK government and parliament know where those 6 counties true interests lie.
@Darius Guppy: nope, she has just revealed that little to no preparations have been made for northern Ireland in event of no-deal. They can pull the plug on May and government – she’s going anyway – but a general election is on the cards if a no-deal is prevented in any case, noises that there maybe a border down the Irish sea even if there is a no-deal. DUP are done now. It’s her deal or they have nothing. Toast.
May won’t go e the people a second chance to vote on the EU but has no problem continuosly taking the rejected deal back to the commons, slightly hypocritical
If at first you don’t succeed, “I’ll keep trying to get my bad deal through ” no matter what the consequences, coz next month I’ll be on a beach in sunny Europe ,resigned and parliament will have to clean up the mess.
@CrabaRev: I disagree with that, should many residing it would allow someone else to oversee the next stage of negotiate, which are going to be far more complex. The public no longer want May and neither do parliament, she simply has to go for any progress to be made.
Death toll from Los Angeles fires rises to 24, with dangerous winds incoming
6 mins ago
86
0
The Morning Lead
Hit-and-runs made up almost 10% of serious crashes on Irish roads in last two months
Órla Ryan
6 hrs ago
1.5k
Cavan
Gardaí launch murder investigation into death of woman, 50s, at Cavan home
Updated
14 hrs ago
44.1k
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 138 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 95 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 123 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 93 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 68 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 67 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 32 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 28 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 115 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 56 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 67 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 74 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 33 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 39 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 23 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 77 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 87 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 64 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 46 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 75 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 54 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say