Brexit news - live: MPs to vote on withdrawal bill in June as Cabinet sets summer deadline for exit
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Theresa May's cabinet has set a summer deadline for the UK finally to leave the EU, prompting speculation the prime minister could be ready to name her departure date.
The decision suggests Ms May is ready to confirm she will quit within two months when she meets Tory backbench leaders on Thursday, after she promised to quit when the first phase of Brexit is complete. She will bring forward her withdrawal agreement bill in early June to ensure Brexit happens this summer, Downing Street said.
It came after the EU told Britain that it was on a "Brexit break" but officials will meet Olly Robbins, Ms May's top Brexit negotiator tomorrow.
Elsewhere, a group of senior Tories urged Ms May to to stand firm against Labour's demands for a customs union in the cross-party talks or risk losing the support of her party's "loyal middle".
But the warning drew fury from shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who voiced fears that any agreement with Ms May would be "overturned within weeks".
Late on Tuesday Ms May met Jeremy Corbyn and both agreed that cross-party talks should continue.
However, making clear their precarious nature, the Labour leader told the prime minister he had "doubts over the credibility of government commitments, following statements by Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers seeking to replace the prime minister".
See how we covered the day's events live, below
Far-right agitator and Ukip European election candidate Carl Benjamin has had three milkshakes thrown at him in three days as he tours the south west of England.
The latest incident saw Mr Benjamin doused in the sweet drink by protesters in the market town of Totnes in Devon.
Story here:
Jeremy Hunt told MPs he was "intrigued" by claims which suggested Britain's chief Brexit negotiator asked to become a Belgian citizen.
It comes after remarks made by European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt about his British counterpart Olly Robbins.
Mr Verhofstadt, in a BBC documentary, said: "Olly Robbins came to me and said 'Guy, can I become a Belgian citizen after this whole thing because I don't think I will return'."
Speaking during Foreign Office questions, Conservative Marcus Fysh asked: "Has any Foreign Office official involved in the EU negotiations sought Belgian citizenship and would it be appropriate for them to do so?"
Mr Hunt replied: "Shall I just say, very diplomatically, that I was as intrigued by those media reports as he was."
After a two-hour discussion on the state of play in cross-party Brexit talks, Theresa May's Cabinet agreed to press on with negotiations with Labour, writes political editor Andrew Woodcock.
But ministers also agreed it was "imperative" to ratify the EU withdrawal deal by the time the Commons breaks up for its summer recess - probably in July.
Ms May's official spokesman said: "Cabinet agreed to continue discussions with Labour to see what was possible.
"However, it was agreed that it is imperative to bring forward the withdrawal agreement bill in time for it to receive Royal Assent by the summer parliamentary recess."
Speaking about the ongoing cross-party Brexit negotiations John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, who has been a key figure in the talks, said this afternoon: "We have been at this five weeks, we haven't seen the significant shift yet that we require to be able to support a deal.
"And, let's be absolutely straight, today hasn't helped."
Mr McDonnell also told the Wall Street Journal CEO Council conference in London: "Deep in my heart I'm still a Remainer."
Away from Brexit, here's an interesting look at opinions on the London mayoralty.
Interesting line from shadow chancellor John McDonnell at a conference in London.
The shadow chancellor suggested the intervention from senior Tories overnight has not helped the progress of the talks.
Speaking at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council conference in London, he said: "We have been at this five weeks, we haven't seen the significant shift yet that we require to be able to support a deal.
"And, let's be absolutely straight, today hasn't helped."
He added: "We don't think there is a deal there yet.
"Our big problem now is, if we are going to march our troops in parliament to the top of the hill to vote for a deal and then that's overturned within weeks, I think that would be a cataclysmic act of bad faith."
Asked if Jeremy Corbyn was also still a Remainer in his heart, the shadow chancellor said: "Yes."
Referring to the referendum, Mr McDonnell said: "We campaigned together."
A senior official in Nigel Farage’s new party defended the “persecuted” Tommy Robinson and mocked the concept of Islamophobia.
Noel Matthews, the Brexit Party’s national election agent, posted an article sympathetic to the far-right former English Defence League leader, writing: “THIS. Tommy Robinson Drew Attention to Grooming Gangs. Britain Has Persecuted Him.”
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Security company G4S should be banned from running prisons after a number of failings were identified, shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon has said.
The opposition frontbencher made the call during a debate on prisons and probation, as Labour called for no new contracts to be handed out to private contractors.
But justice secretary David Gauke hit back, saying the scheme had been a success overall, and attacking his opposite number's "dogmatic" speech.
Mr Burgon said problems at HMP Birmingham, which was run by G4S before being taken back into the public sector, are not localised.
He added: "G4S has in fact failed across the justice sector. It has been forced to give up youth prisons after abuse allegations.
"Horrific treatment at its immigration detention centres has been exposed and the security giant is still under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office for its role in an electronic tagging scandal that included charging for dead people.
"Let's be honest, its role in our justice system should be suspended and should have been suspended there and then, but the government actually appears to be in hock to it and no wonder given that it has £5 billion of Ministry of Justice contracts."
Housing secretary James Brokenshire has poked fun at himself by tweeting about his two - or four - ovens. For those not avidly following this hot (sorry) story, Brokenshire gave an interview at home to the Sunday Times where the keen-eyed journalists spotted how well equipped his kitchen was.
The Mail then ran a double-page spread today on his kitchen. Cue plenty of jokes.
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