Brexit news: Theresa May gives statement to MPs after Brussels talks hit deadlock
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Theresa May's leadership and her plans for Brexit have come under intense pressure after a setback in talks with Brussels over the weekend.
A hastily arranged meeting between Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and European Union negotiator, Michel Barnier, failed to produce a breakthrough, leaving the process on a knife-edge ahead of a crunch summit on Wednesday.
Ms May was forced to come before MPs to discuss the state of the talks, as the the impasse over measures to prevent a hard border with Ireland threw the timetable for reaching a deal into major doubt.
The prime minister insisted that a deal was "still achievable" during a heated Commons statement, where she faced criticism from all sides over her approach.
Donald Tusk, the European Council president, also piled on the pressure by tweeting that a no-deal Brexit was "more likely than ever" shortly after Ms May's Commons address.
It was confirmed that the prime minister will address the 27 leaders before the European Council dinner in a last-ditch bid to win them over - though she will not be allowed into the main discussion itself.
If you want to follow the developments as they happened, see our live coverage below:
An interesting development in the Commons - the government has pulled key business linked to a crackdown on knife and acid sales.
Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said the remaining stages of the Offensive Weapons Bill will be "rescheduled at the earliest possible opportunity" due to the decision to schedule three ministerial statements to MPs, including Theresa May's Brexit statement.
But a Labour source claimed the decision was really an attempt to avoid an embarrassing defeat due to concerns over support for a Tory backbench amendment linked to rifles.
During an earlier debate, several Tory MPs raised concerns over "wholly disproportionate" moves to ban certain types of rifles, including 0.50 calibre weapons, and warned Home Secretary Sajid Javid risked "losing the confidence" of the sports shooting community.
It will now take place on Monday - and the Commons will likely rise early today.
Bullying and harassment of staff has been allowed to thrive in the House of Commons, a major report found.
Dame Laura Cox QC, a former high court judge, was appointed by the House of Commons Commission to conduct an inquiry after a series of allegations made by MPs.
More here:
Valerie Vaz, shadow Commons leader, said some of the accounts in Dame Laura Cox report were "truly shocking".
She said: “Sexual harassment and bullying must not be tolerated in any workplace. Some of the accounts in this report are truly shocking.
“The House of Commons has recently passed an independent complaints process to deal with cases of bullying, sexual harassment and victimisation under the supervision of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards."
She added: "We will continue to work on a cross-party basis to tackle this and ensure new procedures are as robust and effective as possible in order to protect everyone working in and visiting the House of Commons.”
A statement has just been published by the House of Commons Executive Board, on the major report into bullying and harassment in Westminster.
It said: "Dame Laura Cox’s report makes difficult reading for all of us. Bullying and harassment have no place in the House of Commons and the Parliamentary Digital Service.
"We fully accept the need for change and, as a leadership team, are determined to learn lessons from the report. We apologise for past failings and are committed to changing our culture for the better.
"As Dame Laura recognises, this will not be achieved overnight. We have already begun the process.
"There was an additional meeting of the Commons Executive Board earlier today and the House of Commons Commission will meet on Monday 22 October specifically to consider the report’s findings and identify next steps.
"We are grateful to Dame Laura and to everyone who contributed to the Inquiry. This report will help ensure that positive change takes place."
Breaking: A no-deal Brexit is "more likely than ever before", the president of the European Council has warned, ahead of a make-or-break summit of EU leaders in Brussels.
Donald Tusk, who has described this week's top-level meeting as "the moment of truth", said Brexit had "proven to be more complicated than some may have expected".
More here from our Europe correspondent Jon Stone:
A minister fought back tears at the despatch box as she made an emotional statement on the government's loneliness strategy.
Tracey Crouch's voice trembled as she told the Commons how murdered Labour MP Jo Cox had taken the issue of loneliness and "catapulted it into the stratosphere".
Watched by Ms Cox's family, Ms Crouch said: "I've dedicated a short nine months to developing this strategy but Jo Cox dedicated her whole life to tackling loneliness."
Another important bit of news away from the Brexit talks.
Women have been pushed into sex work following the rollout of universal credit, an MP has said during a parliamentary debate on the controversial welfare reform.
Frank Field, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, told the House of Commons on Monday that women in his constituency, Birkenhead, had resorted to prostitution for the first time in their lives after being left destitute by the new system.
More here from my colleague May Bulman:
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