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
Labour has demanded that Theresa May publishes the full legal advice on her Brexit deal and Irish backstop proposal, as concerns mount the government will only publish a summary.
Writing to the cabinet office minister David Lidington, the party's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer is now seeking an "urgent assurance" that all advice handed to ministers will be made available to MPs in the next couple of days.
More here:
Theresa May has dismissed president Donald Trump's comments about an Atlantic trade deal had "poured cold water" on Brexit.
"If you look at the political declaration that sets out the future framework for our relationship with the European Union, it clearly identifies we will have an independent trade policy and we will be able to negotiate trade deals with countries around the rest of the world," Ms May said during a visit to the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.
"As regards the United States, we have already been talking to them about the sort of agreement that we could have in the future.
"We have a working group set up and that is working very well, has met several times and is continuing to work with the US on this."
Boris Johnson has weighed in on the prospect of a TV debate between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn - and hinted that he could be interested in taking part.
Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal will make it harder to fund the UK’s public services by reducing tax revenues, according to a think tank report published today.
UK in A Changing Europe, in a new modelling exercise published on Tuesday, calculates that the prime minister’s deal – a 21-month transition followed by a free trade deal with the EU – would hit fiscal revenues by between 0.4 per cent and 1.8 per cent of GDP in the long term.
More here:
Theresa May's "unacceptable" Brexit deal could cost Scots around £1,600 a year, Nicola Sturgeon has warned.
A new Scottish Government paper said the blueprint could result in "loss equivalent to £1,610 per person in Scotland compared to EU membership by 2030", while investment will slump by 7.7 per cent.
It warned the "special deal" being put in place to prevent the return to a hard border in Ireland would leave Scotland at a "serious competitive disadvantage" to Northern Ireland.
Ms Sturgeon said: "The analysis shows why the deal agreed by the prime minister is unacceptable to the Scottish government and damaging to the people of Scotland.
"No government of Scotland with the interests of this and future generations at heart could possibly accept it."
She added: "Quite simply this is a bad deal, which the UK government is seeking to impose on the people of Scotland regardless of the damage it will cause.
"It will not end uncertainty. It will extend it. We are being asked to accept a blindfold Brexit with all the difficult decisions kicked down the road.
"Notwithstanding the overwhelming vote in Scotland to remain, we have, for two years now, put forward plans to keep the UK as a whole in the single market and customs union.
"That is a common-sense compromise that would limit the damage of Brexit and recognise that two of the four UK nations voted to remain."
She said the Scottish government would continue to pursue this option in talks and would also support a second Brexit referendum with the option of remaining in the EU on the ballot paper.
Labour MP Ian Austin said the party has dropped disciplinary action against him, which stemmed from a heated clash with the leadership of the handling of allegations of antisemitism.
The Dudley North MP, who lost family members in the Holocaust, was accused of "abusive conduct" after a heated row with the party chairman Ian Lavery.
He posted a statement on Twitter:
Here's our report from July on the probe:
On Ian Austin's case, a Labour source said he was given a formal warning for "shouting aggressively".
The source said: “Ian Austin was given a formal reprimand by the chief whip and a formal warning against repeated similar behaviour.
"The chief whip made clear to him that shouting aggressively is not acceptable behaviour by a Labour MP.”
Theresa May has spoken to Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe this afternoon about the Brexit deal - which has generated much excitement among journalists.
It comes after a leaked "communications grid" from Downing Street listed a tweet from the Japanese PM as part of their attempts to sell the Brexit deal.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The leaders discussed the importance of free trade and close co-operation between the UK and Japan. Prime Minister Abe welcomed the progress the Prime Minister has made to secure an agreement with the European Union.
“The leaders looked forward to seeing each other at the G20 in Argentina this weekend, and the Prime Minister welcomed Prime Minister Abe’s commitment to visit the UK early next year.”
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