Theresa May dismisses Trump condemnation of her deal, as MPs warned over stockpiling crisis
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Theresa May has dismissed Donald Trump's claims that her Brexit deal could hinder trade, saying the UK is working "very well" with the United States to secure a future agreement.
The president dealt a blow to Ms May's attempts to sell her new blueprint to the public, when he openly attacked he plan, saying it was "a great deal for the EU".
It comes as the prime minister struggles to overcome opposition from all sides, with former defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon, who was once seen as an ally, saying it was "doomed" to fail in a crunch Commons vote.
He described Ms May's Brexit deal as "the worst of all worlds" and confirmed he will not vote for it in parliament in December.
Meanwhile, MPs heard that warehouses to stockpile food for a no-deal Brexit may be empty because they have been snapped up by Amazon to pounce on the UK market.
The Food and Drink Federation told a parliamentary committee that all available frozen and chilled space had been taken – but no one knew who had taken it and whether there was anything in it.
To follow the events as they occurred, see out live coverage below
Theresa May's chief of staff, Gavin Barwell, reportedly begged Labour MPs to get behind the PM's Brexit deal ahead of a crunch Commons vote in December.
Mr Barwell said the backstop was "a temporary agreement" that would be "mutually uncomfortable" for both sides, according to PoliticsHome.
"You might think this is all a bluff and parliament can vote it down and they'll change their minds," he said.
"That's a judgement for you to make. But the prime minister believes this is the best deal that's available."
He added: "Even if you don't share her views about exactly what kind of relationship you want, which some of you don't, I don't think any reasonable person can say she's not, with some tenacity, stuck at this to try and get the best relationship that's available.
"The key thing I would say to you, because it's obviously one of the things that in the House gets the most attention, is a backstop is going to be required whatever future relationship you want to see. There's no way around that."
The Food and Drink Federation is giving evidence to the Commons business committee about the implications of Brexit for British businesses – and, despite the relief of a deal being struck with the EU, it is still worried.
Ian Wright, its director general, told MP that all available cold warehousing across the UK is now fully booked – but nobody knows what is in it, or if it is empty.
Furthermore, he said: “There is some gossip, and I can’t stand this up, that quite a lot of this has been booked by Amazon for their entry into the food market at some point over the next few months
“Every retailer is inevitably terrified by that prospect and will talk it up.”
Mr Wright suggested it was a “useful question” to put to the boss of Amazon, but warned: “He won’t tell you.”
And, on the “political declaration” alongside the withdrawal agreement, he added: “It’s a list of New Year resolutions – and we don’t know whether they will still be there at the end of January.”
Theresa May's official spokesman has confirmed that the economic analysis of a range of different Brexit scenarios will be published on Wednesday.
Ministers conceded to pressure from MPs to publish the analysis before the so-called meaningful vote on December 11, when MPs will decide whether to back the PM's deal.
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee has "empty-chaired" Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg for refusing to attend their fake news inquiry. MPs have been joined by representatives of parliaments including Brazil, Ireland and Singapore to discuss disinformation and fake news but Mr Zuckerbeg has snubbed the event.
Downing Street is obviously slightly irritated by the latest intervention from Donald Trump into the fraught debate around Theresa May’s Brexit deal, writes political editor Joe Watts.
The US president said this morning that it looked like the deal means the UK would not “be able to trade with the US”, with people kindly giving him the benefit of the doubt that he actually means Britain would not be able to sign a free trade agreement with the US.
But at a briefing this morning the PM’s spokesman pointed out that the political declaration that accompanies the Brexit deal states explicitly that the UK will be developing an independent trade policy (it’s worth remembering, however, that the declaration is not a legally binding document).
He also highlighted that the US/UK trade working group, which is laying the ground for future trade talks, has now met five times including once this month, and that the talks are on-going.
The spokesman then pointed out that both sides are beginning to consult in their own countries on what the terms of a future trade deal should be.
So when cabinet minister David Lidington said this morning that it is “always going to be challenging to do a deal with the United States”, he was shining a light on a particular view about Trump’s move within Downing Street.
The feeling of some behind closed doors is that the start of meaningful trade talks with the UK is now so close, that the president’s latest intervention is actually the beginning of the pre-negotiation trash talk.
Whether it is really that, or simply a stinging critique on May’s Brexit deal, it is unhelpful for the prime minister at a moment when she needs support from people who claim to be her allies.
Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer has written to the government urging them to comply with a parliamentary motion to publish the full legal advice on her Brexit deal within days.
In a letter to Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, he said MPs "must be given the necessary information to know precisely what has been agreed to" before the meaningful vote in the Commons next month.
Labour used an arcane parliamentary procedure known as a humble address to ensure the legal advice given by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to the Cabinet was made public.
Mr Starmer said: "Labour and Parliament will accept nothing short of the full legal advice presented to Cabinet.
"A legal summary is clearly not sufficient and will not comply with the unanimous decision made by the House of Commons."
Theresa May had paid tribute to Tory peer Baroness Trumpington, who died on Monday at the age of 96.
She said: "Baroness Trumpington had a truly extraordinary career - from her work at Bletchley Park during WW2 to her decades of public service in local and national Government.
"She was a formidable figure in British politics and her kindness and humour will be sorely missed."
Baroness Trumpington was a Bletchley Park codebreaker during the war, a socialite, a minister and a peer for more than 30 years.
Read our piece about her extraordinary life:
The pound dropped against the dollar and the euro after Donald Trump said Theresa May’s Brexit deal favoured the EU and would make trade between the UK and US more difficult.
More here:
The stockpiling of food in preparation for a no-deal Brexit has hit major problems due to a lack of storage space, MPs have been warned.
Food industry leaders suggested the issue could have arisen as a result of Amazon having bought up many of the appropriate facilities.
More here:
More than 150 young protesters have descended on the parliament to call for a second Brexit vote, ramping up pressure on their MPs.
The demonstration, organised by youth movement Our Future, Our Choice (OFOC), was aimed at making the government listen to the ways in which Brexit could hurt young people.
"It's not about reversing the result of the first referendum. It's about having a reasonable debate on the benefits of EU membership," Nat Shaughnessy, a UCL student and OFOC organiser, said.
"We feel like young people should be at the front of that, given we have to live with it the longest."
Here they explain why:
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