EU chief Donald Tusk labelled 'devilish, trident wielding, euro maniac' by DUP after extraordinary attack on Brexiteers
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Your support makes all the difference.Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar and European Council president Donald Tusk have said they will “not gamble with peace” over Theresa May‘s demands on the Northern Ireland backstop.
In an extraordinary intervention, Mr Tusk lashed out a Brexiteers in the UK, saying: “I’ve been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.”
His comments sparked a furious reactions from Eurosceptics, with the DUP's Sammy Wilson calling Mr Tusk a "devilish, trident wielding, euro maniac".
Shortly afterwards, Labour's Emily Thornberry, standing in for Jeremy Corbyn at Prime Minister's Questions, called for Article 50 to be extended to allow for more time for negotiations with the EU.
As it happened...
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker is now holding a joint press conference with Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Brussels.
Mr Juncker says "Ireland will not be left alone" adding: "The backstop is needed for obvious vital reasons, and we cannot abandon the idea that the backstop has to be put into place, because the backstop is a guarantee for Ireland and is a guarantee for the European Union."
He says:
"We cannot accept the idea that the withdrawal agreement could be reopened. As the backstop is part of the withdrawal agreement, we cannot reopen the discussion on the backstop."
NEW: Leo Varadkar says he will meet Theresa May in Dublin on Friday. The two leaders will have dinner together as Ms May seeks to persuade the EU to offer compromises on the backstop.
Leo Varadkar says he is concerned about the idea of "alternative arrangements" to the backstop, saying the majority in the Commons in favour of this "probably only exists because alternative arrangements can meant whatever you want them to mean"
He says Sir Graham Brady's Commons motion calling for an alternative to the backstop would not have passed if there had been any detail on what such an arrangement might be.
He says the EU needs to ensure there is a functioning border, saying: "If at some point in the future the UK were to allow chlorinated chicken or beef with hormones in it into their market, we wouldn't want that coming into our market in the European Union."
Responding to reports that police were called to an incident involving Scottish Tory MP Ross Thomson in a Commons bar last night, the Metropolitan Police has issued a statement saying:
"Police were called at approximately 23:00hrs on Tuesday, 5 February to a bar within the Palace of Westminster following a report of sexual touching. Officers attended and spoke to the parties involved - three men in their 20s and 30s. However, no formal allegations were made to the officers and no arrests were made."
A spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives said:
“We are aware of reports of an incident last night and the matter is being looked into. We have no further comment to make at this stage.”
Downing Street has insisted that the EU will have to grant the UK fresh concessions if it wants a Brexit deal.
Theresa May's official spokesman said:
"Leo Varadkar said that they want the UK to leave with a deal, Donald Tusk said earlier today their priority is avoiding no deal.
"The fact is that the deal that was on the table has been rejected by 230 votes.
"So if, as they state, they wish for us to leave with a deal there are going to have to be changes made in order to address concerns which MPs have on the backstop."
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29 people have been deported to Jamaica, despite uproar over the removals, the Home Office has said.
A spokesperson said:
"On 6 February, 29 serious foreign criminals were flown to Jamaica on a chartered flight.
“The crimes committed by the individuals include murder, rape and serious violence. The total combined sentence of their crimes is over 150 years imprisonment.
“The law requires that we seek to deport foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes in the UK. This ensures we keep the public safe.”
↵Home secretary Sajid Javid responds to Donald Tusk's comments earlier today...
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