Brexit: Theresa May faces cabinet ministers as DUP threaten to break alliance over EU exit
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May has gathered her senior ministers for briefings on the Brexit negotiations as the fierce battle to agree the shape of a deal with Brussels reaches its final weeks.
Ahead of next week's key EU Council summit, Downing Street admitted there were still "big issues to resolve" while officials in Brussels said there was "no breakthrough yet" in the talks.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which props up Ms May's government, dramatically flexed its muscles by insisting its 10 MPs would block the Budget - and potentially topple the government - if the prime minister breaches its Brexit red lines.
In a warning shot to Ms May, DUP MPs failed to back the government in voting against an amendment to an Agriculture Bill on Wednesday.
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier also warned that checks on goods over the Irish border could increase tenfold after Britain leaves bloc - an ultimatum likely to infuriate the Northern Irish politicians.
Elsewhere, cabinet minister Esther McVey, who was not invited to attend the meeting, became the second member of Ms May's top team to repeatedly refuse to endorse the Chequers plan, although she insisted the prime minister had her full support.
If you want to follow the day's events, see our live coverage below:
Transport secretary Chris Grayling has offered a "categorical assurance" that planes will not be grounded after Brexit.
Despite warning from Whitehall in the last few weeks about disruption to passengers in the event of a no-deal, Mr Grayling said critics had "got this completely wrong" and planes would still take off after Brexit.
He said: "There is nothing the government has said or done to imply that planes will be grounded or there will be no flights after we leave the EU.
"I give this House categorical assurance flights are going to continue."
Andrea Leadsom has announced there will be an opposition day debate on Universal Credit on Wednesday.
This is clearly becoming a problem for the government, as Iain Duncan-Smith, the architect of the policy, and ex-PM Sir John Major have both spoken out about it today.
Interesting from the business question today. Commons leader won't expand on business beyond this week, as "a week changes lot".
My colleague Ashley Cowburn has been to the regular lobby briefing, where Downing Street sought to downplay the importance of the meeting.
The PM's spokesman said: "There is no cabinet meeting, there is no cabinet sub-committee meeting.
"There have been a series of meetings in recent weeks where ministers have just received updates on the state of the negotiations - they are a relatively regular thing."
"Given it's now a full meeting, I do not have a cast list. The cast list has varied, there have been a number of meetings. There was one on Tuesday too just to provide an update on the negotiations."
Ministers have been accused of sneaking out plans to sell almost £4 billion of the student loan book.
Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner called on the Government to justify the proposal, as she warned that the last student loan book sale led to losses of £900 million.
But universities minister Sam Gyimah denied sneaking out the plans, saying the announcement was made in a written ministerial statement, as he defended the move as "good for the taxpayer".
In a written ministerial statement published on Wednesday, Mr Gyimah announced the Government's intention to process plans to sell part of the English student loan book.
A hard Brexit could cut the UK’s trade with the European Union in half, a new study has found.
Economists from the German Economic Institute in Cologne say that if the UK crashes out of the single market and customs union with no deal next March and is forced to rely on bare World Trade Organisation rules then exports and imports would be significantly disrupted by tariffs and also new regulatory barriers.
More here from our Economics editor Ben Chu:
Esther McVey, the work and pensions secretary, has defended universal credit reforms after warnings from former Tory PM Sir John Major that it would be as damaging to the government as the poll tax was brought in under Margaret Thatcher.
Ms McVey told the BBC she knew more about universal credit than Sir John, and insisted it was "working much better than the old system" for the "vast majority".
She admits some people "could be worse off on this benefit" but 1,000 people each day since 2010 have gone into work.
Asked to confirm reports that she told cabinet that people could be £2,400 worse off, Ms McVey said she wouldn't comment on cabinet discussions. "Tough decisions" have been made, she said.
Esther McVey also failed to back the prime minister's Chequers plan, which is unpopular among Brexiteers.
She told the BBC: "I am completely supportive of the prime minister, as she well knows. What I won't do for you now is speculate into what is going on."
Asked repeatedly about the plan, she repeated her support of the PM to get the best deal for the UK.
The Press Association has filed a helpful Q&A on universal credit and who will be affected by it, as a fresh row broke out among senior Tories over the welfare reforms.
- What is Universal Credit?
UC replaces six existing benefits - Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit - with a single payment.
- When is it being introduced?
UC is being rolled out gradually across the country, starting in pilot areas in 2013. So far, only new benefit claimants have been put onto the system.
But from July 2019, around 2 million people already receiving the old benefits will be moved onto UC, in a "managed migration" which is not due for completion until 2023.
- Who will be affected?
Among those being moved to UC will be about 1 million working families and 745,000 people unable to work because of long-term illness or disability.
- Will anyone lose out?
The Government has provided a pot of money for "transitional protection", which ministers say will ensure that no existing claimants suffer a cut to payments in cash terms unless their circumstances have changed.
- Will there be a wait for payments?
UC is paid in arrears, and the first payment is not made until at least five weeks after a claim is lodged. Claimants can apply for advance payments to avoid hardship while they wait.
- Why is UC being introduced?
Ministers say that the new system is simpler and easier to understand than the old benefits. They believe it creates incentives for claimants to take on temporary work or increase hours.
Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey says that when UC is fully rolled out, it will deliver £8 billion of benefits to the UK economy per year.
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