Brexit news: Theresa May promises parliamentary vote on second referendum in desperate bid to force through exit plan
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NEW: Theresa May will give a speech at 4pm this afternoon on her "bold" new Brexit offer, which will be contained in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to be brought forward next month.
According to her spokesman, the prime minister told the cabinet this morning: “The Withdrawal Agreement Bill is the vehicle that gets the UK out of the EU and it is vital to find a way to get us over the line”.
Ms May will spell out further details of her plan in a speech this afternoon after cabinet signed off the package at a meeting that lasted more than three hours.
John McDonnell has set out Labour's view that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill is a case of ‘nothing has changed’.
Speaking to journalists, the shadow chancellor made clear that Theresa May’s expected offer of a temporary customs union until 2022 fell far short of the demand for a permanent and comprehensive customs union.
Asked if Labour would back the bill on that basis, Mr McDonnell said: “No, we have said that before.”
He also dismissed suggestions that a significant number of Labour MPs could be tempted by new commitments on workers’ rights and environmental protections.
On the basis of six weeks of cross-party talks, any such commitments were “not comprehensive enough” and with no “lock” against attempts by a future Conservative leader to weaken them.
Mr McDonnell also dismissed government hints that second referendum supporters could amend the bill to add a public vote at a later stage, pointing out MPs “can do that anyway” on any legislation.
Here's the full update on the cabinet discussions from Theresa May's spokesman at this morning's briefing for Westminster journalists:
"Cabinet discussed the new deal which the government will put before parliament in order to seek to secure the UK’s exit from the European Union.
The discussions included alternative arrangements, workers’ rights, environmental protections and further assurances on protecting the integrity of the UK in the unlikely event that the backstop is required.
The prime minister said that “the withdrawal agreement bill is the vehicle that gets the UK out of the European Union and it is vital to find a way to get it over the line.”
And the prime minister will be setting out further details on the way forward in a speech this afternoon."
John McDonnell has suggested he could join Labour staffers on the picket line - in protesting against his own party.
Party workers rejected a new pay offer earlier this month. Mr McDonnell said he hoped the dispute would be “settled as soon as possible” by getting the two sides “around the negotiating table”.
But asked if he could imagine joining any picket line mounted by the party’s staff, he replied: “I’m not adverse to joining a picket line.”
The government has reassured MPs it will "leave no stone unturned" in supporting the UK steel industry.
Business minister Andrew Stephenson said it would do everything it could to support the UK steel industry following news British Steel, which employs more than 4,000 workers, mainly in Scunthorpe, faces insolvency.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Stephenson said: "I can reassure the House that, subject to strict legal bounds, the government will leave no stone unturned in its support for the steel industry."
Shadow business minister Gill Furniss said: "The UK's steel industry is critical to our manufacturing base, and protecting this industry should be of paramount importance to the government."
Ms Furniss said British Steel employs about 4,500 people in Scunthorpe and a further 20,000 "down the supply chain".
She said it has been reported that British Steel initially asked the Government for a £75 million loan in emergency financial support, and then reduced the request to about £30 million.
She said negotiations between the government and British Steel owner Greybull had "stalled", and asked whether this was because of the government's frustration at Greybull's "apparent unwillingness to put money on the table".
Meanwhile, there is an election on and the Scottish Liberal Democrats are on the campaign trail.
Willie Rennie, the party's Scots leader, is known for his love of colourful photo opps and today's does not disappoint.
He took to waterskis in Dunfermline, Fife, to illustrate a "rising tide" of support for the party ahead of the European elections.
Excellent clip from PA here:
A bit of detail is starting to emerge about the PM's speech later. Expect plenty of grumbling from MPs about the fact the statement is being delivered in Westminster, rather than the Commons.
Tory MP Andrea Jenykns has risked disciplinary action from her party after refusing to say that Leave supporters should vote Conservative.
Asked on the BBC's Politics Live which party she thought Brexiteers should vote for, she said:
"Brexiteers should vote for who they want to work for. Conservatives are going to be voting Conservative. If you look at the Brexit Party they'e done a great job of tapping into Labour votes, Conservative votes - cross party actually. They're going to hoover up votes on both sides."
Asked again who Conservative supporters who want Brexit should support, she said:
"I'm saying to people vote for whoever you want to vote for. This is an important election...Conservatives vote Conservative and I've got no doubt that the Brexit Party will get a lot of votes."
She added: "I think the Brexit Party is representing what the public wants."
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party has refused to rule out joining a far-right grouping in the European Parliament
Conservative MPs are having a very public Twitter spat after Andrea Jenkyns criticised Home Office minister Victoria Atkins, who she claimed had "sneered' at her. She tweeted:
That prompted a strong response from other Tory MPs, including Sir Nicholas Soames, Antoinette Sandbach and Lucy Allan.
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