Brexit news: Anger as government admits it will fail to strike Japan or Turkey trade pacts by exit day in event of no-deal
Updates from Westminster as they happened
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Your support makes all the difference.The government has been accused of breaking its promises after it emerged that key trade deals would not be ready by Brexit day in a no-deal scenario.
Whitehall documents reveal agreements with Japan, Algeria and Turkey will not be rubber-stamped by March 29 – despite Liam Fox’s assurance that deals would be ready at “one second after midnight”.
Labour MP Stephen Doughty said: “Brexiters promised that voting Leave would mean a bonanza of new international trade deals that would make up for lost trade with the EU.
“Instead, Brexit is costing us the global trade deals we already have as EU members.”
The news emerged as European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he was “not very optimistic” that a no-deal Brexit can be avoided after meeting Theresa May.
Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay travelled to Brussels with attorney general Geoffrey Cox as the government scrambles to secure a deal, while Jeremy Corbyn and his top team were also in the Belgian capital for crunch talks.
Meanwhile, Labour and the Conservatives were both braced for fresh walkouts after 11 MPs formed a breakaway group in protest at the direction of their parties.
See below for our coverage of events as they happened
Sajid Javid has defended his decision to strip Shamima Begum’s British citizenship amid a diplomatic row with Bangladesh.
The home secretary insisted he would “not leave anyone stateless” after officials in Dhaka said the 19-year-old mother was not a Bangladeshi national and would not be allowed to enter the country.
European parliament Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt has tweeted positively about his meetings with Jeremy Corbyn in Brussels. His comments are likely to annoy the PM, as he says that a 'reckless no-deal should be off the table'.
Verhofstadt is often the most outspoken of the EU bosses negotiating with the UK. He makes clear that he is open to an 'upgraded political declaration' - i.e. no tweaks to the withdrawal agreement which May is desperately seeking.
Theresa May has written to the Tory defectors, setting out her disappointment at their decision to quit the party.
In a letter to Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston, she takes issue with their characterisation of the party as run by hardline Brexiteers and dismisses their comparison with Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party.
Read it here:
Former Labour MP Gavin Shuker has said the breakaway party could offer to prop up Theresa May's government if she backs a second referendum.
The Luton South MP told HuffPost UK's Commons People podcast: "We need a general election like a hole in the head right now, we're 900 hours to Brexit and we're going to crash out without a deal unless something replaces that.
"I think the most sensible way forward is for the government to adopt what's become known as the Kyle amendment because it would do exactly what I said before there.
"And in those circumstances I think the national interest would be served by seeing a period of stability to get that referendum done."
The outline of a potential compromise deal on Brexit has begun to emerge in Brussels, writes The Independent's political editor Joe Watts.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, who is facing calls to resign over a series of failures, has been quick to welcome the news that Scottish airline Loganair is to take over the route between Derry and London following the collapse of flybmi.
The service is supported by government funding through a public service obligation.
Mr Grayling said in a statement: "It is a testament to the hard work of Derry and Strabane Council, the City of Derry Airport and my department that we have been able to secure a replacement airline so quickly.
"This route is vital because it strengthens the Union, protects choice and boosts trade and travel opportunities - enabling business trips to and from Derry-Londonderry within a day."
Ireland's deputy premier Simon Coveney has been speaking about the damaging effects of a no-deal Brexit.
He told a parliamentary committee that the Irish government may have to start borrowing money again because of the impact on the country's economic growth.
Mr Coveney also described the possibility of Britain imposing tariffs on Irish products post-Brexit as "crazy", adding: "We can't allow it to happen. I don't believe it will happen but we don't control all the levers."
However he reiterated that the Irish government remained convinced of the need for the backstop because there was "no credible" alternative arrangement being put forward.
"We have to try and find a way to provide the reassurance that many in the British parliament in Westminster are seeking before they can ratify this deal," he said.
"We're trying to do that in a way that doesn't undermine the effectiveness of a guarantee insurance mechanism ... to reassure people that they will never face the re-introduction of physical border infrastructure between the two jurisdictions on this island."
He added: "Alternative arrangements may well emerge, we have to have an open mind on that."
Last year the Irish Exchequer recorded a budget surplus for the first time since the financial crisis.
Anyone who hasn't had enough politics for today can watch BBC's Question Time tackle the issue of The Independent Group later tonight.
Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay and attorney general Geoffrey Cox have held "productive" talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, according to a statement from the Department for Exiting the EU.
A spokesman said: "Yesterday, the prime minister reiterated that the simplest way to get legally-binding changes on the backstop is to reopen the withdrawal agreement. That remains the government's position.
"The prime minister and President Juncker agreed that work would now focus on guarantees relating to the backstop that underline once again its temporary nature and give appropriate legal assurance to both sides, as well as alternative arrangements and the political declaration, to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
"Today, secretary of state Stephen Barclay and the attorney general held productive talks with Michel Barnier and his team on these three areas. They discussed the positions of both sides and agreed to focus on what we can do to conclude a successful deal as soon as possible.
"It was agreed that talks should now continue urgently at a technical level. The secretary of state and the attorney general will discuss again with Michel Barnier early next week. The attorney general will also explore legal options with the Commission's team."
Shamima Begum has urged the government "to re-evaluate my case with a bit more mercy in their heart" after being stripped of her British citizenship.
Asked if she could be rehabilitated, the 19 year-old told Sky News: "I am willing to change."
Ms Begum also said she had no desire to go to Bangladesh: "I don't have anything there, another language, I have never even seen the place."
Earlier today Jeremy Corbyn said the teenager had the "right to return" as he criticised the home secretary's decision.
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