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
The Liberal Democrats are among those accusing Labour of "fence sitting", using the decision to appeal for Remainers to join their party instead.
"The Labour Party has again shown a total lack of political courage when dealing with the biggest issue facing our country," they say. "Remainers deserve better than Corbyn's fence-sitting."
Leader Jo Swinson added: "Jeremy Corbyn has again shown a total lack of leadership on Brexit and settled on yet another fudge on the biggest issue facing our country.
"Jeremy Corbyn has repeatedly had the opportunity to put the full force of Labour behind a Remain position, but he has once again shown today that he is a Brexiteer at heart.
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has also described it as an "abdication of leadership".
Many Labour members are angry and disappointed with the result, with one reportedly describing the party as a "joke".
The result bolsters the position of leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose proposal to promise a referendum but wait until after the general election to decide which side to back was passed overwhelmingly, writes The Independent's political editor Andrew Woodcock.
Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas says Labour's decision is "a tragedy for our politics and our country", adding: "At a time when we need a strong opposition more than ever, they’ve left the pitch."
The Conservatives are also gleefully piling in...
Sadiq Khan flatly rejects the decision, insisting that "Labour is a Remain Party".
Meanwhile Boris Johnson has broken his silence about the allegations he allocated public money to model-turned-entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri.
Having earlier refused six times to comment, he has said that "everything was done with complete propriety... completely in the normal way."
Here's our full story on his denial. Labour has demanded an investigation by Whitehall’s most senior civil servant, after Ms Arcuri was also handed a privileged place on Mr Johnson’s overseas trade trips when he was London mayor.
Further backlash following the decision by Labour conference not to back Remain, based on a show of hands. Former Labour MP Mike Gapes suggests Labour's general secretary was "determined to avoid" a full vote.
Remain-backing shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said he was "disappointed" by the result of the vote.
At a conference fringe event he said: "I don't think there is a deal that's going to be as good as the deal we've got."
Corbyn loyalists, however, insist that the vote was the right decision and a show of unity behind the leader's Brexit position.
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