Brexit: Government-backed customs amendments scrape through as minister resigns - as it happened
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May survived a backbench rebellion and a ministerial resignation to push through a bill on Britain's post-Brexit customs arrangements.
The prime minister had been warned her Chequers deal was "dead in the water" after seemingly caving and accepting amendments by influential pro-Brexit Conservative faction the European Research Group (ERG) on tariffs and VAT policy.
Two ERG amendments were passed with a majority of just three, narrowly avoiding an embarrassing defeat for Ms May after as many as 14 Tory MPs rebelled in divisions on Monday evening.
Among them was defence minister Guto Bebb, who resigned from government after defying the whip to vote against the ERG's new clause 36, requiring HMRC not to collect tariffs for other nations without a reciprocal dealing being in place.
The third reading of the bill was approved by 318 votes to 285, meaning it will now progress to the House of Lords.
Read the recap of how our live coverage unfolded throughout the day
Theresa May has confirmed the government will be accepting the European Research Group's four amendments on the customs bill this evening.
“He is absolutely wrong in his reference to the agreement that was reached at Chequers," Ms May said in the Commons when asked whether it made the agreement void.
“I would not have gone through all the work that I did to ensure that we reached that agreement only to see it changed in some way through these bills
“They do not change that Chequers agreement.”
No10 has signalled they are willing to consider a bid for World Cup 2030 and sit down with football authorities to discuss proposals.
A spokesman said: "We are happy to sit down with football bodies and discuss any proposals they might have to bid for the World Cup in 2030, we have a superb track record for putting on major sporting events."
Accepting the amendments has not gone down well in all wings of the Conservative party...
In the Commons, pro-EU Tory Heidi Allen said she would "never give ERG my backing" and vowed
to oppose their two "wrecking amendments" and abstain on the other two.
Former minister Anna Soubry said the PM had allowed her Brexit plans to be "wrecked" by "caving in" to the Eurosceptics.
"Seems Jacob Rees-Mogg is running Britain," she said.
It's kicking off in the Commons between Conservative MPs as they debate the customs bill.
Sir Edward Leigh, a Tory Brexiter, said to the pro-EU Tory Anna Soubry: "You're no Margaret Thatcher."
Nicky Morgan replies to him: "Is that the best you can do?"
It's getting very heated on the Tory benches.
Leading Remainer Anna Soubry says the government must deliver "frictionless trade, either by a customs union or indeed by some magical third way the prime minister thinks she can deliver on".
If not, she says, thousands of jobs will be lost. She claims Tory Brexiteers know this to be the case but say in private that they would accept the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs because it would be "worth it to regain our country's sovereignty".
She adds:
"Nobody voted to be poorer and nobody voted Leave on the basis that somebody with a gold-plated pension and inherited wealth would take their job away from them."
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