Brexit news: Labour votes against backing Remain in new referendum, as Boris Johnson denies misusing public funds
The latest developments as they happened
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Your support makes all the difference.Labour‘s annual conference has rejected a motion calling for the party to oppose Brexit in all circumstances.
Delegates at the gathering in Brighton voted down a plan that would have seen the party support Remain in any future referendum. They instead backed a proposal from the party leadership that will see Labour delay deciding its position until after a general election.
The decision – which was based on a show of hands – proved highly controversial, with some observers suggesting it was a “stitch up”.
However others were pleased with the approval of the leader’s stance on Brexit, and around half of the delegates began chanting “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn”.
Elsewhere, Boris Johnson is facing a probe into allegations he failed to declare potential conflicts of interest as London mayor over the allocation of public money to an American businesswoman.
Officials at City Hall and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport are looking into Mr Johnson’s ties with Jennifer Arcuri, with MPs calling for the PM to quit if claims are substantiated.
Mr Johnson initially refused to answer questions about the allegations before eventually insisting that “everything was done with complete propriety”.
The prime minister went on to meet European Council president Donald Tusk at the UN General Assembly in New York. Mr Tusk later tweeted that there had been “no breakthrough”.
It came as Mr Johnson awaited Tuesday’s ruling by the Supreme Court on whether his decision to shut down parliament was unlawful or not.
See below for our coverage of events as they happened
Emily Thornberry finishes up by saying she believes "we must strive day and night, whatever it takes, to keep Britain in the European Union".
Emily Thornberry also attacked the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in her speech, who she said was inspired by Donald Trump's strong man stance.
She said: "You know I asked the question when he visited the UK last year: ‘Why on earth would they roll out the red carpet for Bin Salman?’
"Well now we know why. It’s the only way to cover up the blood which is dripping from his hands from the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the slaughter of thousands of innocent civilians in Yemen.
"Next week, on the day Boris Johnson makes his conference speech, it will be exactly one year since Jamal Khashoggi was butchered inside the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.
"Twelve months on, and still, still, this Tory government will not say who it believes was responsible, because they say: ‘The Saudi government is still investigating’.
She added: "This age of impunity needs to end. This era of ‘strongman’ politics needs to end."
It is "difficult to see" how a Brexit deal on the Irish border can be reached, the EU's chief negotiator has said.
Michel Barnier told reporters that "the current state" of UK thinking on the issue meant that a replacement for the backstop looks improbable – raising the prospect of a no-deal exit in October.
See here:
Interesting - Sadiq Khan has been tweeting about meeting senior union leaders ahead of the crunch Brexit votes today.
Dave Prentis is from Unison, which has said it will defy the Labour leadership and vote for the Remain. TSSA is also planning to vote for the Remain motion, while Usdaw is voting for all of the motions.
Leo Varadkar has said it will be the UK's fault if a hard border is introduced between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit.
Speaking at the UN in New York, the Irish premier said:
"It is the case that in the event of no deal, checks will be necessary and we've been saying that for months now.
"Checks in ports, airports, at business level, near the border, and if that happens, it will happen as a consequence of the UK leaving without a deal, it won't be a decision we made and certainly won't be something we sign up to or agree to in any way."
He insisted his government would not back down on the issue of the Northern Ireland backstop, saying:
"There are also some people that believe at the last minute that Ireland will somehow fold or give up our position and that's not going to happen."
In the conference hall, the debate about Brexit is now underway. We understand that the vote on a motion saying Labour should back Remain is expected to be very close. The trade unions are split on the issue, with Unison and the TSSA backing the motion while Unite and the GMB do not. Some sources say the votes of Usdaw, the shop workers union, will be critical to determining the outcome.
The vote is expected to take place around 5.00pm.
Boris Johnson has met New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Arden at the United Nations in New York.
A Downing Street spokesperson said:
"They discussed Brexit and underlined their shared commitment to agree an ambitious free trade deal after the UK leaves the EU.
"They also spoke about the close bilateral relationship between our countries and the importance of our intelligence-sharing co-operation through Five Eyes.
"They discussed Iran's destabilising activity in the region and the need for dialogue and de-escalation, and agreed on the importance of international co-operation to protect shipping in the Gulf."
Opinion: Labour is doing its best to destroy its own election chances, writes Andy Grice...
NEW: Sources are telling The Independent that they do not expect the pro-Remain motion to pass, based on the speeches taking place on the conference floor at the moment. A number of delegates are stressing the importance of backing Jeremy Corbyn and trusting him to deliver...
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