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As it happenedended

Brexit news - live: Andrea Leadsom resigns over Theresa May's withdrawal bill as PM clings to power

Premier to meet Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, on Friday

Lizzy Buchan
Political Correspondent
,Jon Sharman
Wednesday 22 May 2019 18:35 BST
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Senior Tories told Theresa May "it is time to go" as 1922 Committee leader Sir Graham Brady revealed he would meet the PM on Friday.

The prime minister set out her proposals in the Commons but Tory and Labour MPs expressed fury at her plans for a second referendum.

Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom resigned from the cabinet with a "heavy heart", saying she no longer believed the government's approach to Brextit would "deliver on the referendum result".

Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load

DUP MP Nigel Dodds, claims the PM's deal isn't "new", and says it still remains the "bad" deal his party has repeatedly voted against.  

The PM says she has brought forward a "new package of proposals" 

Ashley Cowburn22 May 2019 13:35

Conservative MP Nicky Morgan says she is likely to vote for the prime minister's a deal - immediately making herself among a minority in the House of Commons. 

She claims the consequences of it being rejected by MPs are serious and more time set aside for compromise.

Her colleague Alistair Burt also says he will be supporting the prime minister's bill. He says a lot of people in the country believe in a compromise deal, rather than a "reckless" no-deal scenario.

The former foreign office minister praises the chancellor, Philip Hammond, for his take down of those advocating a no-deal Brexit in the Conservative Party. 

Ashley Cowburn22 May 2019 13:40

Nigel Farage’s use of PayPal to raise huge numbers of small donations for his Brexit Party allows foreign donors to “evade the rules”, a watchdog has warned, writes deputy political editor Rob Merrick.

The Electoral Commission said its investigation of the party’s fundraising methods is “ongoing”, after visiting its headquarters amid the growing controversy.

But, in a statement, the watchdog said seeking small sums via online donations “open up additional risk in relation to compliance with UK political finance law”.

Ashley Cowburn22 May 2019 13:41

Theresa May tells MPs she is "looking forward" to voting for her deal in June - and voting to implement Brexit for a fourth time.

Ashley Cowburn22 May 2019 13:50

In huddle with journalists, a Downing Street source confirms the plan is to hold second reading in week of 3 June.

"We have got a job of work to do and that won't be easy but I think you got a sense today of the PM's determination and the very strong reasons she believes this is the right thing to do.

"We will be doing everything in our power to give effect to that."

Asked whether the PM will resign if the Tory vote drops below 10 per cent in the European Parliament elections, the source said: "We expect a very challenging night when the results come through but the Prime Minister is focused on the task at hand, which is delivering the Brexit people voted for.

Lizzy Buchan22 May 2019 13:59

Labour Peter Kyle gives Theresa May a rare bit of praise, thanking her for her change in tone towards a confirmatory vote.

But he says her speech seems to have "widened divisions further". He urges her to include a second referendum in the bill.

May welcomes his tone and says she is committed to letting MPs have a vote on it.

Lizzy Buchan22 May 2019 14:09

Lizzy Buchan22 May 2019 14:11

More from the huddle:

A Downing Street source said there will be “widespread engagement” with MPs from all sides of the House over the 11-day Whitsun recess as the Prime Minister seeks to drum up support for her new deal.

Asked if Ms May had considered resigning after seeing the initial response to her proposals, the source said: “The Prime Minister is focused on the job in hand. What the last 24 hours or so have proved is that it is a big one.”

He confirmed that Ms May remains committed to meeting the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, following the second reading vote to discuss the timetable for the succession.

Lizzy Buchan22 May 2019 14:20

Theresa May's statement is now over, after a cool 90 minutes.

Lizzy Buchan22 May 2019 14:29

Away from the chamber, the Brexit Party has lifted its ban on Channel 4 News after a disagreement.

Channel 4 had been refused entry to the party's events - a decision the programme had linked to its investigation into party finances.

But a party spokesman said the dispute was about the behaviour of the programme's camera crew at the Leave Means Leave rally in Parliament Square on March 29.

The issue has now apparently been resolved, and party chairman Richard Tice will be interviewed on the programme on Wednesday evening.

A party spokesman said: "Having secured unauthorised access to a secure zone, the Channel 4 team repeatedly lied, falsely claiming that they had been invited in.

"When challenged by Mr Tice and asked to leave, they repeatedly refused.

"Channel 4 has accepted that there are legitimate security concerns, and given the necessary reassurance that there will be no repeat of such behaviour.

"Now that this unfortunate episode has been resolved, we look forward to welcoming them to future Brexit Party events."

A Channel 4 News spokeswoman denied the allegation of lying.

She said on Wednesday: "Channel 4 News met with the Brexit Party today and Richard Tice has agreed to an interview on the programme tonight.

"We would like to set the record straight and be clear that we do not accept the assertion that our team 'repeatedly lied'.

"Our team were escorted into a secure area by a Leave Means Leave press officer.

"We are pleased that this matter has now reached a conclusion, six weeks after an incident we were unaware of and five days after our Channel 4 News investigation into Nigel Farage."

Lizzy Buchan22 May 2019 14:43

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