Brexit news: Theresa May risks Brexiteer fury by assuring EU leaders that backstop will remain in deal
Prime minister holds 'robust' talks as she looks to reopen negotiations on her withdrawal agreement
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May has risked Brexiteer fury by assuring European leaders that the divisive Irish backstop will remain in any final deal.
Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit chief, said Ms May told senior MEPs "there is no question to remove the backstop", which acts as an insurance policy against a hard border on the island of Ireland.
The prime minister held "robust" talks with European Commission chief Jean Claude Juncker in Brussels, where the pair agreed to open negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
But Mr Juncker stuck by his refusal to reopen the Brexit deal, dampening hopes that the EU could allow Ms May to strip the backstop from the agreement to appease MPs.
It comes as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faced a row from his own MPs after laying out the terms under which the party would back Ms May’s deal – but making no reference to a second referendum.
Here is how we covered the days events:
It's been an interesting day Brexit-wise - but what is coming next?
Theresa May travels to Dublin on Friday for talks with Irish premier Leo Varadkar focused on the Northern Ireland backstop, which remains the key sticking point in the negotiations.
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay will then meet the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday to open discussions on possible solutions to end the impasse.
The Prime Minister and Mr Juncker have also agreed to meet again before the end of February to take stock of the situation.
- What about Parliament?
The Prime Minister is expected to make a statement to MPs on Wednesday setting out the latest situation. Then on Thursday there will be a another debate on a "neutral" motion, with an opportunity for MPs to put down amendments which can then be voted on.
- After that?
Focus may shift to an EU-Arab League summit on February 24 and 25 in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh. If Mrs May is to get the legally binding changes she wants, it will require the unanimous support of the other 27 leaders - and this is the next occasion on which they are scheduled to meet together under the same roof.
After the Commons defeated her original Brexit plan last month, Mrs May is also required to stage a further "meaningful vote" but reports suggest she will wait to the end of February before doing so.
In the meantime, the clock continues to tick towards March 29 - the day Mrs May says Britain will finally leave the EU.
Ireland’s housing policy is “not robust enough” to cope with Brexit, it has been claimed.
Concerns over whether the housing department's Rebuilding Ireland policy can remain as the current blueprint for tackling the housing and homelessness crisis have also been raised in a report.
The report from the Dail's Housing Committee was critical of a number of Irish Government polices after it examined possible social and economic changes that could arise as a result of Brexit, and the potential effects they could have on the housing market.
However, it stated that many of the issues the housing sector could face post-Brexit are existing issues that would be worsened, rather than specific Brexit-induced problems.
The authors of the report have urged housing minister Eoghan Murphy to "Brexit-proof" the department's current housing polices.
"With Ireland currently experiencing a substantial housing shortage it is necessary to examine if Brexit could impact the housing market", committee chairwoman Maria Bailey said.
It also warned of the problems of attracting new workers to Ireland to help boost the construction industry.
The report states: "The committee is also of the opinion that more should be done to attract back Irish emigrants who left the country previously as this is likely, the committee believes, to achieve results in the short-term.
"However, while the committee is of the opinion that Ireland needs more skilled workers in the construction industry to meet housing demand, enticing new workers to the country could prove difficult.
"Ireland currently does not have the housing infrastructure to meet current demand. Attracting additional workers to Ireland to build houses would paradoxically increase the demand for housing."
Nick Boles, who has been a vocal supporter of Norway Plus, tweeting his endorsement of Oliver Letwin's previous comments.
Columnist for The Independent and Labour MP Chuka Umunna, has had his say on Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit plan:
In case you missed it, our Deputy Political Editor has written an update on former prime minister John Major saying young people 'will neither forget nor forgive' Leave campaigners
Britain’s growth is expected to slow to 1.3 per cent this year, according to the European Commission's latest forecast.
However, that forecast is based on the “technical assumption” that EU-UK trade will not be affected by Brexit.
Here's how Britain ranks alongside forecasts for other EU countries:
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