Brexit news: Theresa May promises parliamentary vote on second referendum in desperate bid to force through exit plan

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Theresa May promises parliamentary vote on second referendum in desperate bid to force through exit plan

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Key Points

• Theresa May offers MPs a vote on a second referendum in desperate bid to pass Brexit bill
• Millions of EU citizens fear red tape will see them turned away from polling booths
• Philip Hammond to warn Tory leadership candidates not to support 'damaging no-deal Brexit'
• Brexit Party bans Channel 4 journalists from campaign events
• Emily Thornberry says there are 'a large number of things' she wants to tell Donald Trump

[21 May 2019 11:01 · Benjamin Kentish]

Speaking to talkRADIO this morning, former cabinet minister Priti Patel became the latest Tory MP to hint that should could run for the party leadership. At this rate about half of Conservative MPs will throw their hat in the ring.,,

[21 May 2019 11:16 · Benjamin Kentish]

The Independent Editorial: Theresa May's 'bold offer' on Brexit is nothing to get excited about - but a second referendum is

[21 May 2019 11:32 · Benjamin Kentish]

Theresa May's successor as prime minister must be a current Tory backbencher, former cabinet minister Priti Patel says

 

[21 May 2019 11:36 · Benjamin Kentish]

Channel 4 News has confirmed that it has been banned from Brexit Party events. Its editor, Ben de Pear, tweeted this morning to say it had been unaware of the six-week ban until it broadcast a story about Nigel Farage last week.

The ban is likely to prompt questions for the party, which is ahead in polls for this week's European Parliament elections, about transparency and media scrutiny.

[21 May 2019 11:52 · Benjamin Kentish]

The chair of the House of Commons international trade committee, SNP MP Angus MacNeil, has written to international trade secretary Liam Fox to express concern at the lack of EU trade deals that are being "rolled over" into bilateral agreements as the UK prepares for Brexit. 

The government has said it will transfer the 40 or so trade deals that the UK is party to as an EU member into new agreements once Britain leaves the EU, but only 11 have so far been finalised. 

Mr MacNeil said:

“In the past month, Department for International Trade has announced just one roll-over agreement, covering three small countries accounting for just 0.2 per cent of UK trade. Regarding the deals with some of our bigger trading partners – Turkey, Japan and Canada – there has been radio silence. Just as worryingly, in respect of those agreements that have been rolled over, questions remain as to exactly what has been agreed: do these agreements actually replicate our current trading arrangements with these countries, or will our terms of trade be changing?

“The UK has rolled-over, by my latest calculations, 11 agreements out of approximately 40. Given that we are two months after the original deadline, this is of deep concern. Unless Dr Fox’s department rapidly picks up pace, we could be facing a desperate – and quite possibly unsuccessful – hurry to ensure continuity of these agreements in time for the new Brexit date of 31 October.”

[21 May 2019 12:06 · Benjamin Kentish]

All junior ministers, Conservative Party vice-chairs and ministers' parliamentary aides have been invited to a briefing this afternoon on Theresa May's latest Brexit plan, according to The Telegraph's Steven Swinford

[21 May 2019 12:23 · Benjamin Kentish]

Today's cabinet meeting has now finished, after almost three hours. We're expecting an update on the discussions from No10 shortly and will of course bring you that as soon as we have it.

[21 May 2019 12:28 · Benjamin Kentish]

NEW: Theresa May will deliver a statement in the House of Commons this afternoon on her latest Brexit offer, reports suggest. 

[21 May 2019 12:45 · Benjamin Kentish]

ITV has asked for more time to explain the death of a contestant, the head of broadcasting regulator Ofcom has said.

Ofcom asked the station to give it information within five working days on participant Steve Dymond, who was found dead ten days after appearing on the show. 

Ofcom chief executive Sharon White told the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee: "ITV have now asked for more time to complete their inquiries."

[21 May 2019 12:56 · Benjamin Kentish]

Philip Hammond has again warned about the short-term and long-term impact of a no-deal Brexit.

Speaking during Treasury questions in the Commons, the chancellor said:

"There are two separate effects of a no-deal Brexit that concern me. First of all there will clearly be short-term disruption which will have an unpredictable, potentially significant effect on our economy.

"Probably more importantly all the analysis that the government has done and published and that external commentators have published shows that there will be a longer-term effect which means that our economy will be smaller than it otherwise would have been.

"And I didn't come into politics in order to make our economy smaller, I came into politics to make our economy bigger and make our people better off."