Brexit today - as it happened: Theresa May says EU withdrawal is 'on course' but admits she is 'disappointed after parliamentary defeat
Tory rebels vote to give meaningful parliamentary vote on any final Brexit deal
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May has arrived in Brussels and is set to urge European leaders to officially approve an agreement to move Brexit talks onto the second phase.
But it comes after the Prime Minister faced an embarrassing defeat in the Commons on Wednesday on the Government’s Brexit legislation.
Asked about the defeat, inflicted after 11 of her own MPs defied her instructions to oppose the amendment, Ms May said the result was “disappointing” but insisted the legislation was still making good progress in the Commons.
“I'm disappointed with the amendment but actually the EU Withdrawal Bill is making good progress through the House of Commons and we're on course to deliver on Brexit,” she told reporters in Brussels.
At a dinner later this evening with the leaders of the EU 27, the Prime Minister will repeat her case for moving the talks on to trade negotiations, which she sees as crucial to offering certainty for businesses.
They are all but certain to approve the deal to move to “phase two” on Friday, after Ms May has Brussels, launching a new stage of talks that could be hampered by divisions at home and differences with the EU.
This liveblog is now closed, but you can see all of today’s developments in Westminster and Brussels below.
Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Simon Coveney, said a transition period needs to be closer to five years than two.
Speaking in the Dail on Thursday, he insisted that businesses need time to adapt to any new realities in the context of Brexit.
He also said that, in his view, the commitments that the UK Government has made to Ireland and the rest of the EU are “cast-iron”.
Theresa May has arrived in Brussels. Speaking to reporters outside the European Commission building, she said she was "disappointed" with the amendment.
She says the EU Withdrawal Bill is making good progress in the House of Commons and says the Government has won 35 out of 36 voted on the legislation so far - interesting spin.
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