Brexit - live updates: Theresa May's EU deal under threat from DUP over Northern Ireland border dispute
Theresa May leaves Brussels without securing an agreement on terms of Britain's withdrawal from the EU
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May is trying to keep her Brexit plans afloat today after her Northern Irish political partners blocked her attempts to secure a withdrawal agreement with the EU.
The Prime Minister was set to call the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party to convince her to back her proposals for what should happen with Northern Ireland’s land border after Brexit.
Downing Street has indicated Ms May hoped to be back in Brussels before the end of the week to secure the agreement, after the DUP refused to accept plans that could have seen Belfast following a different regulatory regime than London.
But the fallout has highlighted Ms May's dependence on the DUP, and given her opponents the chance to pressure her over her failure to secure the deal so far.
Labour has called an urgent question in the House of Commons today, giving Sir Keir Starmer another chance to shout about the major problems the Government finds itself in.
Ms May is planning to return to Brussels before the end of the week, as time runs out to persuade leaders of the remaining 27 EU nations "sufficient progress" has been made to move Brexit negotiations on to their second phase.
The next phase would deal with trade and the transition to a new relationship, but if Ms May fails to move forward new questions will be raised in Tory ranks about her own ability to see through Brexit.
For background on the allegations, you can read this piece from the weekend:
Here is the full statement from Bob Quick, released by his solicitors:
"Damian Green called me a liar in the statement he tweeted on 4 November 2017. That is completely untrue. Everything I have said is accurate, in good faith, and in the firm belief that I have acted in the public interest.
"During an investigation of his Parliamentary office in 2008, it was reported to me and to other senior officers that a vast amount of pornography was discovered on the computer in Damian Green's Parliamentary office, on his account. I was told that internet history data logs indicated that the material had been viewed prolifically and in working hours.
"I recommended that the issue be referred to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. As far as I know, no such reference was made.
"In view of this and the present Cabinet Office investigation into Damian Green, I contacted Sue Gray in early November 2017. Shortly afterwards, a journalist from the Sunday Times contacted me to say that he had obtained a draft statement prepared by me some years ago for the Leveson Inquiry. I did not approach the Sunday Times with this information.
"Following Mr Green's deeply unpleasant and personal attack upon me, I was contacted by Neil Lewis, who had undertaken the interrogation of Mr Green's hard drive in 2008. Mr Lewis offered me his support, and I believe him to be a man of integrity, similarly acting in the public interest. I reported Mr Lewis' contact and the evidence he was able to provide to Sue Gray on 6 November 2017.
"I wish to make it clear for the avoidance of any doubt or further speculation that I am in no way motivated politically and bear no malice whatsoever to Damian Green. This is despite unfortunate and deeply hurtful attempts to discredit me. Everything I have said about this matter has been in good faith, and in the firm belief that I have acted in the public interest.
"I invite Damian Green publicly to retract his allegations against me. I am considering legal action."
New: Government concedes defeat on Universal Credit reports. Will publish them before Christmas. Vote was due this evening
Internal Government assessments into universal credit will by published before Christmas, the Work and Pensions Secretary has conceded after Labour threatened to force a vote on the issue in the Commons.
David Gauke said he would provide the requested reports on a confidential basis to the Work and Pensions Select Committee in Westminster, but added that the Government is doing so on an “exceptional basis” and it should not set a precedent.
It came after the Labour party attempted to seek vote in the Commons on Tuesday to make a “humble address” to the Queen, ordering ministers to release project assessment reviews conducted by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) into universal credit, which is gradually being rolled out across the country.
The arcane parliamentary procedure is similar to the one used by Labour several weeks ago and compelled the Government to publish its Brexit impact assessments into different areas of the British economy.
The reports, known as ‘Project Assessment Reviews’, are detailed assessments of the implementation of Universal Credit, which has come under criticism for driving debt, arrears and even evictions.
The independent Information Commissioner, has determined that five of the reports, drafted between 2012 – 2015, are in the public interest and called on the Government to release them. So far it has not done so.
Welcoming the announcement by the Work and Pensions Secretary, the committee chair Frank Field, said jokingly “we can all go home in a minute”.
Speaking during an opposition day debate calling for their release, Mr Gauke said sharing information with select committees can be appropriate "in exceptional circumstances".
He added: "In line with the motion before this House, I will provide, by the time the House rises for the Christmas recess, the reports directly to the Work and Pensions select committee.
"Now, I just wish to point out to the shadow secretary of state that her motion doesn't require us to publish these reports, it doesn't require us to lay it before the House.
"What is says specifically is to provide it to the Work and Pensions committee. In those circumstances, I think it is acceptable for us to do so."
Mr Gauke said he would consider redacting certain information, such as that which is commercially sensitive, while the documents were being handed over in exceptional circumstances and did not set a precedent.
"Against this background, I provide the reports to the select committee on a confidential basis, and in these circumstances hope and expect that documents will not be disclosed further," he added.
All 13 Scottish Tory MPs have released a joint statement endorsing Ruth Davidson's position on Brexit.
The MPs said: "The Scottish Conservative group met today and unanimously agreed that we fully support the comments from Ruth Davidson MSP that the terms of any Brexit deal with the EU should be UK-wide."
Ms Davidson had earlier said the Government "should not countenance any deal that compromises the political, economic or constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom".
She added: "If regulatory alignment in a number of specific areas is the requirement for a frictionless border, then the Prime Minister should conclude this must be on a UK-wide basis."
Debbie Abrahams, Labour's Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, welcomed the Government's decision to publish the reports on Universal Credit.
She said: “Following Labour pressure, the Government has finally backed down and made a clear commitment to hand over the Universal Credit reports.
“This should give greater insight into the scale of their implementation and design failures during the mismanagement of the programme and must be published unredacted and unedited.
“Too many families have been pushed into poverty by the Tories’ disastrous mishandling of Universal Credit’s roll out and it is only set to get worse, with thousands facing a miserable Christmas.
“It is time we knew the true extent of the Government’s failures with Universal Credit in order to fix the multitude of problems.
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