Brexit news: Theresa May to write to Tusk as exasperated EU leaders demand 'clarity' over delay plan

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Theresa May banned from vote on same Brexit deal in major blow issued by John Bercow

Theresa May is set to write to European Commission president Donald Tusk to lay out the government's plan for delaying Brexit.

The cabinet spent 90 minutes discussing the issue this morning but reportedly did not reach a conclusion on the possible length of the extension.

It comes as European leaders signalled that they may not agree to the UK’s request for a delay to Britain's departure from the bloc, which was originally expected on March 29.

German Europe minister Michel Roth said EU leaders were “really exhausted” with the Brexit saga and and demanded “clear and precise” proposals from the UK government.

To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below

Key Points

• Theresa May to force third vote on Brexit deal in defiance of Bercow, cabinet minister says
• EU countries 'really exhausted' by UK, Germany says amid warning to Theresa May
• 'Don't involve the Queen', Stephen Barclay says as he confirms he will not step down 
• Jeremy Corbyn meets with opposition leaders to discuss Brexit 

[19 March 2019 08:00 · Shehab.Khan]

Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the day's political events 

[19 March 2019 08:04 · Shehab.Khan]

In case you missed the action yesterday, the major news story was that Commons speaker John Bercow dramatically ruled that Theresa May cannot hold another vote on her Brexit deal unless the proposed agreement has changed "substantially".

Ms May was reported to be planning a third "meaningful vote" on her deal this week, although Downing Street said it would only happen if there was a "realistic prospect" of success.

[19 March 2019 08:07 · Shehab.Khan]

Have a read of The Independent's Deputy Political Editor's report on yesterday's dramatic events: 

[19 March 2019 08:10 · Shehab.Khan]

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay has been doing the media rounds this morning and urged that the Queen is not involved in the current Brexit constitutional crisis.

[19 March 2019 08:11 · Shehab.Khan]

Speaking to ITV News, Mr Barclay also confirmed that he would not be stepping down if the government seeks a long Brexit extension

[19 March 2019 08:13 · Shehab.Khan]

Given everything that has gone on it's worth looking at the powers that John Bercow actually has and what his job is.

What is the role of the Speaker of the House of Commons?

The familiar shout of "Order, order!" explains part of the Speaker's job in Parliament. They are in charge of keeping order during debates, and calling different MPs to take their turns speaking on various issues.

[19 March 2019 08:17 · Shehab.Khan]

What powers does the Speaker have?

The Speaker is the highest authority in the House of Commons and has the power to ensure MPs follow the rules, including asking them to be quiet while others are speaking, directing a member to withdraw remarks if they are deemed to be abusive, and suspending the sitting of the House if there is judged to be serious disorder. An MP can be suspended if they are felt to have been deliberately disobedient.

[19 March 2019 08:21 · Shehab.Khan]

Is the Speaker impartial?

The speaker is an elected MP, like all their colleagues in the House, and they are supposed to deal with constituency business as normal. However when elected they are required to resign from their political party and to keep themselves separate from political issues, remaining impartial.

[19 March 2019 08:26 · Shehab.Khan]

How is the Speaker elected?

The current speaker was elected in 2009, using an exhaustive secret ballot system. MPs marked an X next to the candidate of their choice on a list. John Bercow got 322 of the 593 ballots cast, at which point the question proposing the successful candidate as Speaker was put before the House and he took the chair.

[19 March 2019 08:31 · Shehab.Khan]

How has the current Speaker enforced the rules most recently?

Mr Bercow cited the Commons rulebook Erskine May - the authoritative book on parliamentary law and practice - as he set out a convention dating back to 1604 that a defeated motion cannot be brought back in the same form during the course of a parliamentary session.

His ruling, which came in an unexpected statement to the Commons on Monday, indicated that the Prime Minister cannot bring her EU Withdrawal Agreement back before MPs unless it is substantially different from the package which was decisively defeated last week.