CBI demands MPs cancel spring break to resolve Brexit crisis

As cross-party talks to end deadlock collapse, business leaders tell MPs: 'It's time to get on with it'

Business leaders have demanded that MPs cancel their spring break and remain in Westminster to resolve the Brexit crisis.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the parliamentary recess scheduled for the end of next week should be scrapped to allow key votes on Britain's EU departure to be brought forward.

CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn told MPs: "It's time to get on with it."

The anger among business groups came as cross-party talks between Labour and the government collapsed without reaching a conclusion.

The negotiations were designed to break the Brexit deadlock in parliament but the two sides were unable to agree a way forward. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claimed the government "has not fundamentally shifted its view", while Ms May said the obstacle had been the failure "to overcome the fact that there isn't a common position in Labour about whether they want to deliver Brexit or hold a second referendum which could reverse it."

The prime minister has said she will bring forward the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which would enshrine her Brexit deal in law, in the first week of June but it is widely expected to be voted down. Her deal has already been rejected by MPs three times.

Before then, MPs and peers are due to have a 12-day break, leaving Westminster on 23 May and returning on 4 June.

Ms Fairbairn said the recess should be cancelled to allow for earlier votes on the bill or for another series of "indicative votes" to establish what Brexit outcome the Commons might support.

She said: "Another day of failed politics, another dispiriting day for British business. Six wasted weeks while uncertainty paralyses our economy.

"The May parliamentary recess should be cancelled and used to agree a deal as soon as possible - whether through indicative votes or the Withdrawal Agreement.

"Business and the country need an urgent resolution to this mess. This is no time for holidays. It's time to get on with it."

Other business leaders also voiced concerns about the state of the Brexit process, accusing MPs of a "litany of failures".

Mike Cherry, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "The breakdown of cross-party talks is just another chapter in what is becoming a litany of failures during the Brexit process."

He added: "We are the ones dealing with the realities of this mess - planning decisions cancelled, investment stalled and growth going backwards.

"Ongoing uncertainty is damaging the economy, holding back productivity and battering small business confidence. We simply cannot see this continue through to the end of October."

A government spokesperson said: "It is for parliament to decide whether to approve recesses, which it has already done with regards to Whitsun. MPs will be using the time to carry out important constituency work."