Brexit news: Government finally publishes full legal advice as Theresa May accused of 'inadvertently misleading' parliament
Follow all the latest updates, as they happened
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May has been accused of "inadvertently misleading" parliament over Brexit in an angry prime minister's questions clash, as the government was forced to publish the full legal advice on her deal.
Her administration became the first in modern political history to be found in contempt of parliament over its refusal to hand over the advice on a bruising day in the Commons, where Ms May suffered three significant defeats.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the advice had to "dragged out" of ministers and claimed Ms May had been misleading MPs, before he was rebuked by the Speaker.
Meanwhile, home secretary Sajid Javid acknowledged the deal is not "perfect in every sense" as he opened the second day of debates, which will culminate in a Commons showdown next week.
To follow events as they happened, see our live coverage below
In the Brexit debate, the Tory MP Grant Shapps warned the Irish border backstop proposal could "remove power" from the Commons and UK, adding: "For the first time as a Member of Parliament I find myself at odds with my own Government.
"With no sign of a solution, certainly not in the Attorney General's legal advice, I am afraid I'm left contemplating my vote on the Withdrawal Agreement next Tuesday.
"I'm currently minded to vote against."
Justine Greening - the former education secretary - has used her intervention in the Brexit debate to warn that Parliament will be "gridlocked" no matter what the Brexit deal.
Ms Greening said the deal negotiated by the PM was the equivalent of asking someone to "jump out of a plane without knowing if your parachute is there and attached".
She said: "If this was anything else comparable, for example a big infrastructure project, we'd have a national policy statement that might be a thousand pages of detail for the House to consider.
"Here we've got just 26 pages, a proposed deal on leaving the European union is perhaps the ultimate national policy statement, yet we've virtually nothing, it's the political equivalent of being asked to jump out of a plane without knowing if your parachute is there and attached, it's like agreeing to move out of your house without knowing where your going to live next or not even having agreed the sales price but selling out and signing a contract anyway.
"None of us would do this in our own lives, yet this Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration asks us to do it on behalf of our country."
The Scottish parliament has overwhelmingly voted to reject both the PM's Brexit deal and the prospect of a no deal Brexit.
MSPs backed by 92 votes to 29 a motion submitted by the SNP, Labour, Greens and Liberal Democrats which said both these options "would be damaging for Scotland and the nations and regions of the UK as a whole, and therefore recommends that they be rejected and that a better alternative be taken forward".
The internal workings of Facebook have been revealed after the UK parliament released 250 pages of internal documents from the controversial company.
The files show a range of discussions from inside Facebook, including suggestions that it could one day charge developers for access to its data about users.
More from our tech correspondent Andrew Griffin:
Almost three quarters of students back a fresh referendum on Brexit, a new survey has found.
The poll by the National Union of Students (NUS) found that 71 per cent said the public should be given a Final Say on the Brexit deal, while just 19 per cent disagreed.
Full story here:
Tory former chief whip Mark Harper has said passing Theresa May's Brexit deal would see the Conservatives' relationship with the DUP completely break down and leave them "unable to govern".
The MP for the Forest of Dean raised concerns over the backstop in the Withdrawal Agreement, which he said should never be signed off.
He said: "If this deal were voted through next week, it is my belief having listened carefully to what they've said, that the relationship between our DUP allies and the Prime Minister would be fractured beyond repair."
He said Tuesday's defeats in Parliament would be replicated over and over again under such a scenario, adding: "I think we would be in office but unable to govern our country effectively."
Mr Harper, who revealed he currently plans to break the party whip for the first time in his 13 years as an MP to vote against the deal, said it could still be saved if the backstop is removed.
He said: "The problem I have is the backstop in the Withdrawal Agreement.
"The Prime Minister was clear that a backstop that treated Northern Ireland differently and put a border in the Irish Sea was unacceptable and not something any British prime minister could sign off and I'm afraid to say she has done exactly that."
Former Tory leader Michael Howard has also said he could not support the PM's Brexit deal.
He told peers he was "not a natural rebel" and so was making his speech with "a heavy heart".
Lord Howard said: "I was one of the 17.4 million people who voted to leave the European Union and I did so because I wanted my country and its Parliament to take back control over our nation's future and its destiny.
"I am afraid that the agreement before us today does the opposite of that."
After meeting with the DUP, Jacob Rees-Mogg has told the European Research Group that the DUP will support the government in a confidence motion *if the Withdrawal Agreement is voted down*, a source told us.
But the risk of losing them and having an election is if the WA goes through.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments