As it happenedended

Brexit news: Theresa May rules out any negotiation with Jeremy Corbyn over customs union demands after meeting with Labour leader

With just 46 days before Britain is set to leave the EU, the prime minister is still searching for a deal she can pass through the Commons

Ashley Cowburn

Political Correspondent

Monday 11 February 2019 11:50 GMT

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Theresa May confident Brexit will be delivered on March 29

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Theresa May is seeking a compromise with Jeremy Corbyn on Brexit, a government minister has said as the prime minister reached out to Labour.

But with just 46 days before Britain is set to leave the EU, Downing Street rejected any agreement being reached with the Labour leader over a customs unions – one of Mr Corbyn’s central demands.

Referring to a letter sent by Ms May to Mr Corbyn, justice minister Rory Stewart said Ms May was seeking some sort of compromise, adding: “I think she feels, as I do that there isn’t actually as much dividing us from the Labour Party as some people suggest.”

Here is how we covered the day's events:

Theresa May to offer MPs new round of Brexit votes amid accusations she's 'running down the clock'Theresa May has sought to buy herself time to secure concessions on her Brexitdeal by promising MPs a fresh round of votes before the end of February.Communities secretary James Brokenshire said a new motion would be put before the Commons by February 27, if no deal has been agreed, in a bid to win the prime minister time to hammer out a compromise after MPs overwhelmingly rejected her plan last month.MPs have been gearing up for a Valentine’s Day showdown, assuming Ms May is unable to present a revised deal to parliament by Wednesday, including a push by Labour to force her into a meaningful vote by the end of the month.But in an effort to see off attempts to bind the government's hands, Downing Street is promising another opportunity to table amendments - which are likely to include measures aimed at taking a no-deal Brexit off the table - on February 27.

Ashley Cowburn11 February 2019 08:36

Theresa May reaches out to Labour over Brexit impasse amid government efforts to buy timeTheresa May has reached out to Labour for help with a critical issue with her Brexit plan as she pleads with MPs for extra time to secure a breakthrough.The prime minister struck a conciliatory tone in a letter to Jeremy Corbyn, where she invited Labour to help drum up alternatives to the divisive Irish backstop, which has proved a major stumbling block to getting a deal through the Commons.But Ms May risked creating a fresh Tory rift by failing to explicitly rule out a customs union with the EU, amid warnings from rank-and-file Conservatives that such a move would amount to an “unforgivable betrayal”.It comes after the Labour leader took many in Westminster by surprise when he wrote to Ms May laying out his terms for Labour to support a Brexit deal, which included a customs union and guarantees on workers’ rights.

Ashley Cowburn11 February 2019 08:56

Justice minister Rory Stewart has been speaking to Radio 4 Today's programme about Theresa May's letter to the Labour leader.

Asked if the PM was looking at some sort of compromise with the opposition leader, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Yes. I think she feels, as I do, that there isn't actually as much dividing us from the Labour Party as some people suggest."

Regarding Labour's stance on a customs union with the EU, Mr Stewart added: "On that there is a disagreement.

"The Prime Minister believes, as I believe, that a major economy like the United Kingdom shouldn't indefinitely be in a position where it is completely unable to create trade deals with other countries.

"So, what we are arguing in the letter is that we can achieve through the Withdrawal Agreement a great deal of what Jeremy Corbyn is interested in without taking away that option of having other trade deals."

Ashley Cowburn11 February 2019 09:00

Government departments need extra £11bn to end austerity, warns Institute for Fiscal StudiesPhilip Hammond would need to find an additional £11bn for unprotected government departments to spare them from further austerity, according to the latest estimates from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).In last year’s November Budget the chancellor announced that “the era of austerity [is] finally coming to an end”.But his overall fiscal plans still implied further cuts over the coming five years to a host of Whitehall departments, from the Home Office, to environment, to transport.The IFS today estimates that preventing this additional squeeze taking place, on top of the substantial cuts imposed since 2010, would require the government to allocate these departments an additional £11bn in the forthcoming spending review, due later this year.

Ashley Cowburn11 February 2019 09:15

Multibillion foreign aid budget should be spent to advance Britain's 'political and commercial interests', Boris Johnson saysBoris Johnson has backed calls for a huge de-facto cut in the foreign aid budget, saying the money should be spent in the UK’s “political and commercial interests”.The £13.4bn pot should fund all peacekeeping work and world service broadcasting, a controversial report says – diverting much of its cash to the Ministry of Defence and the BBC.And the aid target, enforced in law at 0.7 per cent of gross national income, should be reworked for the UK government’s own policy aims, beyond economic development in poor countries.Mr Johnson threw his weight behind the proposals, put forward in a pamphlet by a backbench Tory MP, saying they “are hard to disagree with”.

Ashley Cowburn11 February 2019 09:28

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson also told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Theresa May's letter: "It's clear that Jeremy Corbyn... he's done a complete U-turn.

"He now wants to frustrate Brexit very largely by staying in a permanent customs union."

On the Northern Ireland backstop, Mr Johnson said: "The argument is now about how to get out of the backstop. And how to make sure that the UK isn't locked in that prison of the customs union.

"I think that you would need to have a time limit."

Ashley Cowburn11 February 2019 09:44

After the Conservative MP Christopher Chope blocked a private members' bill on Friday on female genital mutilation, his Commons office has been decorated...

This is from the Sun's Hugo Gye.

Ashley Cowburn11 February 2019 09:52

At a speech in central London, the defence secretary Gavin Williamson, dismisses critics' suggestions that Britain is retreating in the world as it exits the European Union. He says the UK will build new alliances, and rekindle old ones.

"We should be the nation people turn to when the world needs leadership," he says.

Ashley Cowburn11 February 2019 10:14

UK to send flagship aircraft carrier to disputed Pacific watersThe aircraft-carrier Queen Elizabeth, with two squadrons of F-35 stealth fighters on board, will be sent into disputed waters in the Pacific in a display of “hard power”, the defence secretary is due to announce in a major speech on Britain’s military strategy in the post-Brexit world.Gavin Williamson will declare the UK “may have to intervene” in future to confront aggression from countries like Russia and China who “flout international law” and are “resurgent” in rebuilding their armed forces.Britain and its western allies have to be ready “to use hard power to support our interests”, the defence secretary is due to say in an address at RUSI (Royal United Services Institute) in London on Monday. “We have to be ready to show the high price of aggressive behaviour, ready to strengthen our resilience.”

Ashley Cowburn11 February 2019 10:47

Ashley Cowburn11 February 2019 10:52

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