As it happenedended

Brexit news: Tom Watson defies Jeremy Corbyn over second referendum as Macron issues fresh attack on Brexiteers

Follow the updates from Westminster as they happened

Ashley Cowburn

Political Correspondent

,Benjamin Kentish

Saturday 23 March 2019 00:59 GMT

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'I do not believe that we should be revoking Article 50' Theresa May speaks after EU agrees plan to delay Brexit

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Labour's deputy leader, Tom Watson, has said a fresh Brexit referendum is "the only way" to solve the current crisis.

Speaking before the major Put it to the People march in London on Saturday, he said the best way to unite the country was to "have a final say - and then live with the result".

It came as Theresa May faced mounting pressure after European Union leaders seized control of the Brexit timetable during late night talks in Brussels.

EU leaders said they would be prepared to defer Britain’s departure until 22 May if the government’s deal is approved next week - if not, then a deadline of 12 April has been set, they added.

Reports suggested that the chairman of the influential 1922 group of Conservatives, Sir Graham Brady, visited Ms May this week and relayed the message that MPs in the party want her to stand down.

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EU leaders decide Brexit fate behind closed doors as May secures Article 50 extensionTheresa May was left waiting while European leaders decided the future of Brexitbehind closed doors. The prime minister had hoped to be handed an extension of the Article 50 period until 30 June before making a statement from Brussels in the early evening. Instead, the 27 presidents and prime ministers were locked in talks long into the night after they tore up draft proposals and produced a complicated conditional plan.

Ashley Cowburn22 March 2019 08:08

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Revoke Article 50 petition calling for Brexit to be cancelled hits two million signaturesOver two million people have signed a petition calling for the government to revoke Article 50 and cancel Brexit.It has become the fastest growing petition ever created on the government’s petition website despite the service crashing several times on Thursday unable to cope with demand as people voiced their discontent for Theresa May’s plans for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.The two million mark was passed shortly after EU leaders agreed to a plan which would delay Brexit from 29 March to 22 May on condition that MPs approve Theresa May's withdrawal deal next week.

Ashley Cowburn22 March 2019 08:09

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Armed forces set up team in nuclear bunker to prepare for no-deal BrexitBritain’s military has set up a team in a nuclear bunker beneath the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to prepare for a no-deal Brexit.Some 3,500 troops were being held “at readiness” to aid in contingency plans if the UK leaves the European Union (EU) without an agreement in place, a spokesperson said.The mission, dubbed Operation Redford, was activated at the beginning of the week. It could see the armed forces working to transport food, fuel and other essentials around the UK.

Ashley Cowburn22 March 2019 08:09

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The European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt has welcomed the decision to approve an extension to the Article 50 negotiation process.

Ashley Cowburn22 March 2019 08:34

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Labour MP blames Theresa May after he is attacked in the streetAn MP has blamed Theresa May after he says he was assaulted in the street.Lloyd Russell-Moyle said his attacker called him a “traitor” while he was out promoting a final vote on Brexit before grabbing his glasses and trying to hit him.The incident, on Thursday afternoon, came less than 24 hours after Mrs May gave a speech on Brexit in which she blamed MPs for deliberately delaying her attempts to ensure the UK leaves the EU on 29 March.

Ashley Cowburn22 March 2019 09:02

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When is the Put it to the People march and how you can get involved?Tens of thousands are expected to attend the Put It To The People march in London on Saturday 23 March – just six days before Britain is supposed to leave the European Union (EU). Protesters seeking a referendum on the final Brexit deal will once again descend on the capital. Up to 700,000 people were estimated to have attended a similar march in October - a rally organisers said was the biggest demonstration of its kind.

Ashley Cowburn22 March 2019 09:13

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Speaking on the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme, the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said he will take over the leadership of the Brexit part.

When asked if he would stand again in any EU elections for the new party, Mr Farage said: "Absolutely I will.

"The Brexit Party was set up a few weeks ago, it's registered with the Electoral Commission, it is at the moment a virtual party - it's a website - we haven't launched."

Ashley Cowburn22 March 2019 09:18

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Shadow Brexit secretary Matthew Pennycook has been granted an urgent question today in the Commons on the PM’s EU council meeting last night. Expect it just after 11am.

Ashley Cowburn22 March 2019 09:36

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Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 committee, was reported to have met with the prime minister earlier this week to tell her that most Conservative MPs now want her to stand down.

The Daily Telegraph said that Sir Graham visited her in Downing Street on Monday after being "bombarded" with text messages from MPs demanding she should go.

The paper said that it was one of a series of direct confrontations with Conservative MPs in the run-up to the summit.

Asked about the claims by The Independent, Sir Graham declined to comment.

Ashley Cowburn22 March 2019 09:52

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Martin Selmayr, the secretary general of the European Commission, has posted pictures from inside the meeting of EU leaders - after they spent yesterday evening discussing Brexit.

Praising the European Economic Area (EEA), he says: "A well tested, successful model for close economic integration between the EU and its neighbours."

Unsurprisingly, his tweet is being taken as a pretty heavy hint to the UK... should parliament once again reject Theresa May's deal in the Commons next week.

Ashley Cowburn22 March 2019 10:13

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Brexit news: Tom Watson defies Jeremy Corbyn over second referendum as Macron issues fresh attack on Brexiteers