Brexit vote: MPs approve Boris Johnson’s withdrawal bill, despite backlash over ‘binned’ protections for child refugees and workers
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Boris Johnson has been accused of watering down rights in his Brexit legislation, as his withdrawal agreement bill passed its first Commons hurdle with a majority of 124 votes.
Labour said Mr Johnson had “torn-up” protections for workers’ rights and child refugees, calling the changes “deeply cruel”. The Lib Dems said compromises had been “binned” following his march towards “unbridled” power.
As Jacob Rees-Mogg returned to frontline politics following his conspicuous absence from the Tory election campaign, campaigners railed against government plans to shake up the constitution and introduce photo ID at polling stations.
To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below
As important at the Restoration? Brexiteers rejoice
Despite warnings Brexit will not be done in the New Year, some Tory MPs are getting very, very excited indeed – with over-the-top historical comparisons and Mariah Carey-related puns.
Ardent Brexiteer Sir Bill Cash added that Brexit will be “a watershed moment in our history".
He added: “The reality is … that this is an historic moment – it compares to the decision that was taken when in 1660 the Cromwellian period was redefined, we came back into parliamentary government.”
Sir Bill continued: “We have regained the right to govern ourselves.”
Tory MP Mark Francois, the deputy chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group, made a festive appeal in the Commons.
He said: “The people have spoken and we will listen. We will do what they want and when the sun rises on February 1 it will do so on a free country.
“All I want for Christmas is not EU.”
‘Please don’t do this’: Lineker pleads with PM
The Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has tweeted The Independent’s piece about the government’s decision to get rid of clause in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill protecting child refugees.
The England legend calls it “all kinds of wrong”.
Ian Murray to stand for Labour’s deputy leadership?
Scotland’s only Labour MP has been pushed to run for deputy leader of the party in a bid to “widen the debate”
Ian Murray is understood to have been approached by MPs to mount a possible run but nothing has been decided as yet and the Edinburgh South MP is expected to take the festive period to decide.
The source said: “There’s a feeling among some MPs that the debate should be widened to include Scotland and Wales, as opposed to just the north of England.”
Murray was a frequent critic of Jeremy Corbyn and battled deselection before the election after a bid by the Unite trade union.
Despite being the only MP north of the border, Murray was passed over for his former Scottish shadow secretary role in favour of Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd.
During the election campaign, Murray was supported by former prime minister Gordon Brown and shadow Brexit secretary – and possible candidate for leader – Keir Starmer.
Ian Murray, Labour MP for Edinburgh South (PA)
Deadline to make trains accessible for disabled ripped up
A government deadline to make all trains accessible for disabled people will not be met.
No fewer than 10 operating companies have been granted permission to breach the accessibility standards that were due to come into force on 1 January.
Around 1,200 carriages – many of them on notorious northern routes – will continue running into the next decade, The Independent can reveal.
Chris Heaton-Harris, the rail minister, said he had “reluctantly agreed” to loosen the deadline, but blamed the rail companies.
Our deputy political editor has all the details.
Government admits extra costs for businesses in Brexit deal
Labour MP Stephen Timms has spotted something interesting in the re-worked Withdrawal Agreement Bill – an admission that businesses in Northern Ireland will have to pay “additional administration costs” after Brexit.
It’s related to the forms that will need to be filled in on imports on goods coming from Great Britain.
NEW: MPs approve Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill
MPs have approved the government’s EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill at the second reading stage, with 358 votes in favour, and 234 against.
‘Back of the net!’ Tory cheer Brexit bill victory
Plenty of reaction to the historic, if expected victory for Boris Johnson.
The government majority of 124 government was met with cheers on the Tory benches, with one MP heard shouting the Alan Partridge phrase: “Back of the net!”
Tory MPs ask PM to sign their order papers
The Conservatives obviously think it’s a historic moment. Or the mulled mine has gone to their heads. But some of them were seen getting Boris Johnson’s autograph – asking him to sign copies of their order papers to mark the day.
Six Labour rebels defy Corbyn to support Boris Johnson's Brexit bill
Six MPs rebelled against the Labour whip to back the second reading of the EU withdrawal agreement bill (known as the WAB) this afternoon.
More than 30 Labour MPs also seem to have abstained or not turned up for the vote, including a number of frontbenchers.
Ian Lavery, John Healey, Jon Trickett, Peter Dowd and Andrew Gwynne all abstained on the vote - despite being in the shadow cabinet.
Ex-Welsh secretary did not break ministerial code in row over collapse of rape trial
Former cabinet minister Alun Cairns has been cleared of allegations of a breach of the ministerial code, the cabinet office has said.
The ex-Welsh secretary announced he was standing down last month over his links to a Conservative candidate accused of sabotaging a rape trial.
He is thought to have been the first cabinet minister in modern times to have quit during the course of a general election campaign.
Mr Cairns claimed he was unaware of the role played by his former staff member, Ross England, in the collapse of a rape trial until after the story broke.
However, he was accused of "brazenly lying" after BBC Wales said it had obtained a leaked email which suggested he had been made aware of the allegations as early as August last year.
The report by Sir Alex Allan, the PM's independent adviser, which was released on Friday, stated that Mr Cairns said he knew about the collapse of the trial, but that he did not know the details until they become public.
"Mr Cairns worked closely with his special adviser, who had had conversations with Mr England and who was more likely than not to have known about Mr England's role (as demonstrated by the 2nd August email) - though I accept that Mr Cairns' special adviser would not necessarily have known the judge's actual remarks," he wrote.
Sir Alex said the issue was whether it was "plausible that Mr Cairns could have been told about the collapse of the trial without inquiring or being told about the reasons, especially given that he knew Mr England was a witness".
"Mr Cairns' asserted that he was not a lawyer and did not then understood the difference between an adjournment, a delay and a collapse. It seems to me that these terms are self-evident."
He said Mr Cairns' evidence was that he "would have drawn from the content of the conversation with a member of his staff that there had been difficulties with the trial" but that the "member of staff had not told him that Mr England had had anything to do with it".
Concluding, Sir Alex wrote: "I find it unlikely that Mr Cairns would not have been told something about Mr England's role when he was told about the collapse.
"But all those involved state that they had not informed Mr Cairns of Mr England's role, and there is no direct evidence to contradict this. On that basis, I do not find that the evidence upholds the allegations of a breach of the Ministerial Code."
Mr Cairns was replaced as Welsh Secretary by Simon Hart earlier this week following the Conservatives' election victory on December 12.
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