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Brexit latest news: UK might have to delay date for leaving the EU, Jeremy Hunt admits
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Government 'might need some extra time to pass critical legislation' Credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Barcroft Images
Anna Mikhailova, Political Correspondent
James Rothwell
31 January 2019 • 5:11pm
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Jeremy Hunt has said the date the UK leaves the European Union may need to be delayed even if Theresa May manages to secure backing for her deal.
The Foreign Secretary said the government "might need some extra time" to "pass critical legislation", as he indicated Article 50 would need to be extended.
Mr Hunt added that any progress in negotiations with Brussels is "not going to happen in the next few days".
"If we ended up approving a deal in the days before March 29, then we might need some extra time to pass critical legislation," Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme.
He said Tuesday's vote was encouraging. "A week ago none of us knew this is going to be possible, we now have a consensus in Parliament," he said.
This is the second time a Cabinet minister has publicly suggested an extension may be needed even if Mrs May's deal passes through Parliament.
Last week Andrea Leadsom said the EU may be prepared to grant the UK a "couple of extra weeks" beyond the March 29 deadline for an approved Brexit deal to pass through Parliament.
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Meanwhile MPs will have their February recess cancelled to make Parliamentary time for Brexit and other legislation, Ms Leadsom told the House on Thursday morning.
Theresa May will today begin meetings with backbench MPs, including Brexiteers and the DUP, as she plans her approach to Brussels. The Prime Minister will urge her EU counterparts to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement and make changes to the controversial Irish backstop.
Greg Clark, the Business Secretary, said it is necessary for the Brexit deal to have Labour support in order to command a substantial majority in the House.
It comes as a no deal Brexit is the "likeliest outcome" the Austrian foreign minister has said.
Sir Oliver Letwin also said leaving the UK without a deal its likelihood is "enormously high".
Britain may run short of gummy bears if there is no deal
German gummy bears, chocolate and licorice are popular sweets in Britain, but aficionados there might have to start stockpiling if they don't want to go cold turkey when the country leaves the European Union - according to the Associated Press.
German candy retailers are worried that exporting sweets to the United Kingdom will become as slow as molasses after Brexit day on March 29, with new, unclear customs regulations potentially causing supply shortages and price increases.
"We don't even know which customs form to fill out and which customs class we'll be in," Bastian Fassin from the Association of the German Confectionery Industry told the German news agency dpa.
A selection of EU-themed sweets
Germany delivers 800 million euros (919 million dollars) worth of candy to Britain each year and up to 3,000 jobs in Germany are linked to these exports, making Britain the second biggest importing country of German sweets after France, according to the dpa.
If Britain leaves the EU, it can no longer take advantage of free trade with the other 27 European nations that are part of the bloc.
Beyond shortages and supply delays, the German sweets may become more expensive once they've finally cleared customs and arrived in Great Britain, said Olaf Wilcke, the sales director of Sperlari, who was attending the ISM fair in Cologne, one of the world's biggest trade fairs for sweets and snacks.
If this leads to a drop in consumption, the fear is it will lead to job losses in the German industry.
'No deal, no problem'
Channel 4 News has challenged a spokesman for the Leave Means Leave campaign, Steven Edington, to defend the claim that leaving without a deal will not be a disaster.
You can watch his response - in which he criticises the "Remainstream media" and outlines why leaving without a deal may not be as bad as people believe - here:
"The 'Remainstream' media and online is dominated by people who say that no-deal is going to be a total disaster. We don't believe that."
Steve Edginton from the Leave Means Leave campaign says people are "really excited" about a WTO, no-deal Brexit. pic.twitter.com/urOF2fxFk6
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) January 31, 2019
Lord says May one of the best PMs of the century
A Tory peer told the House of Lords that Theresa May will go down as "one of the best prime ministers of the 21st century" because of her work to boost council house building.
The claim, which drew murmurs of dissent on the Labour benches, was made by Local Government Association chairman Lord Porter of Spalding, who said Mrs May's decision to lift the cap on local authority borrowing to fund house building.
Chief Whip messages MPs about February recess
Julian Smith, the Chief Whip, has emailed Tory MPs about the cancellation of the February recess.
MPs with previously-made commitments, including medical treatment, important constituency events and time with their families will need to apply for permission not to attend.
Chief whip Julian Smith has emailed Tory MPs to say they can have February recess off if they have scheduled "time with their families". Arrangements will be made for opposition MPs on holiday too. So it's a recess in all but name and a stunt by the government. pic.twitter.com/g0YyglVT9J
— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) January 31, 2019
Dutch Prime Minister: EU is waiting for Theresa May's proposal
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the EU is "united" in its message the Withdrawal Agreement is the "only deal on the table".
However, he went on to say he is waiting to see Theresa May's proposal, to see if it is "acceptable to the EU and will enable ratification in the UK."
Spoke with @JunckerEU. #Brexit now in final fase. The EU is united; the Withdrawal Agreement is the best and only deal on the table. Awaiting proposal from UK that is acceptable to EU and will enable ratfication in the UK.
— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) January 31, 2019
Corbyn warns Labour MPs against backing May's deal in exchange for constituency money
Jeremy Corbyn has warned Labour rebels against agreeing to cash funding for their constituencies to back Theresa May's deal, after a senior Labour backbencher urged the Prime Minister to "show us the money".
Mr Corbyn said the Government's plan for leaving the EU would not help deprived areas any more than austerity had since 2010, after the Times reported Mrs May would offer incentives to pro-Brexit backbenchers, many from old coal mining areas.
John Mann, the Labour MP, responded to a report that Mrs May would offer incentives to pro-Brexit backbenchers, many from old coal mining areas, by Tweeting: "Show us the money. A fund of sufficient size to transform our communities. Our areas voted Leave and it is time that we had the investment we need.
"Our areas need to see a fund established that is transformative. The forgotten areas of Britain who voted Leave want jobs, rights and investment."
Lisa Nandy said: "Nobody from Government has approached me about this but if they did I would tell them there's no point investing in towns if they're taking us down a route that destroys jobs, wages and workers' rights.
"A permanent customs union and commitment to workers' rights remains the issue."
Mr Corbyn then told the Press Association that MPs should always "demand appropriate resources for their constituencies" but the best way to get them was to push for a Labour government.
"Clearly, there has to be investment in those communities, but the Brexit plan proposed by Theresa May doesn't solve that any more than the Government's austerity programme is going to solve any of that," he said.
Government considering giving money to Labour constituencies
Downing Street has suggested additional financial support for former mining communities will be made available as part of a programme of "national renewal" following Brexit.
Theresa May's spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has a long-standing commitment to tackling inequality between communities."
"We are determined to lead a programme of national renewal post-Brexit by rebuilding and reconnecting communities, driving prosperity and unleashing the potential and creativity of hard-working people in every part of our country.
"No community should feel that they are left behind."
It comes amid reports Mrs May plans to woo Labour MPs into supporting her Brexit deal by promising to give an injection of cash into their constituencies.
UK rejects EU claims about Brexit divorce bill
Jack Maidment has the latest on the Brexit divorce bill:
The UK will not pay the full £39billion Brexit bill if it leaves the EU without a deal, Downing Street has suggested.
The European Commission has warned Britain would have to pay the full bill but the Government rejected that claim on Thursday morning.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Two parts to that answer. The first is that the agreement which we have under the Withdrawal Agreement which obviously structures the payments and sets out an agreed amount or range would fall away.
"Secondly, however, the Prime Minister has said that where we have legal obligations we would meet those."
Downing Street also rebuked Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, after he suggested Brexit may have to be delayed to provide "extra time" for the UK to prepare for its departure from the bloc.
The spokesman said: "The Prime Minister's position on this is unchanged. We will be leaving on March 29."
Downing Street also responded to reports that the Government is preparing to offer Labour MPs in Leave-voting constituencies extra funding to persuade them to back Theresa May's Brexit deal.
The PM's spokesman said he "absolutely wouldn't characterise it like that" when asked if the Government was pursuing a "cash for votes" strategy.
But he added: "I think there is a broad point about post-Brexit which is that the Prime Minister has a long standing commitment to tackling inequalities between communities.
"We are determined to lead a programme of national renewal post-Brexit by rebuilding and reconnecting communities, driving prosperity and unleashing the potential and creativity of hard working people in every part of our country.
"No community should feel that they are left behind."
MPs react to news February recess to be cancelled
My kids will be coming to Westminster for now cancelled recess, which to be honest will increase the hot takes/sullen looking teenage angst in the halls of parliament.
— Jess Phillips (@jessphillips) January 31, 2019
The UK Government is an utter shambles. Cancelling the time we get to spend time working in our constituencies, while also having so little business of note next week, and all the while the clock ticks down to Brexit. 🙄 #BrexitBourach #BrexitShambles https://t.co/vGCOWuMHzt
— Alison Thewliss (@alisonthewliss) January 31, 2019
Theresa May speaks to Leo Varadkar and Donald Tusk
On Wednesday evening, Theresa May called Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, who told her recent events only underlined the need for a backstop that was "legally robust and workable in practice".
The Prime Minister also spoke to Donald Tusk, the European Council president, in what was reportedly an "open and frank".
Mr Tusk then tweeted: "The EU position is clear and consistent. The Withdrawal Agreement is not open for renegotiation."
My message to PM @theresa_may: The EU position is clear and consistent. The Withdrawal Agreement is not open for renegotiation. Yesterday, we found out what the UK doesn't want. But we still don't know what the UK does want. #brexit
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) January 30, 2019
February recess cancelled
Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the House. will tell MPs their February recess will be cancelled to make more time for Brexit.
"In light of the significant decisions taken by the House there are no plans to bring forward a motion to agree a date for the February recess<" she said.
"I am sorry for the inconvenience this will cause to colleagues, house staff and families."
NEW: Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom will announce February recess is CANCELLED in her Business Statement - due in the next few minutes - sources say.
— Matt Dathan (@matt_dathan) January 31, 2019
As expected, Andrea Leadsom says MPs' February break is cancelled. She says the House will endeavour to make sure no-one is out of pocket. Does that mean taxpayers will have to foot the bill for MPs' cancelled skiing holidays?
— Gordon Rayner (@gordonrayner) January 31, 2019
John Mann to Theresa May: 'show us the money'
Responding to reports Theresa May is preparing to woo Labour MPs to support her Brexit deal by promising a cash injection into their constituencies, John Mann said: "Show us the money".
Mrs May's allies believe that she needs the backing of about 20 Labour MPs to get her deal over the line when it returns to the Commons, provided she can secure changes from Brussels.
Not quite. Show us the money. A fund of sufficient size to transform our communities. Our areas voted leave and it is time that we had the investment we need. https://t.co/rNC10xnjMm
— John Mann (@JohnMannMP) January 31, 2019
Today's Commons schedule
There are no urgent questions or oral ministerial statements in the Commons today.
Business is as on the #OrderPaper, starting with #DCMSQuestions and #AGQuestions. Find out what else is on: https://t.co/XBS6wgjt0X pic.twitter.com/JIVWJcYQfF
— UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) January 31, 2019
Car industry on 'red alert' over no-deal threat
The Society of Motor Manufacturing has said the industry is on "red alert" as the threat of a no-deal Brexit increases.
The trade association said investment in the industry fell 46 per cent last year and new car production dropped 9.1 per cent to 1.52 million vehicles in 2018, in part because of concerns over Brexit.
But chief executive Mike Hawes said: "This is nothing compared with the permanent devastation caused by severing our frictionless trade links overnight, not just with the EU but with the many other global markets with which we currently trade freely."
Theresa May plans to woo Labour MPs with investment in their constituencies
Theresa May is preparing to woo Labour MPs to support her Brexit deal by promising a cash injection into deprived areas that supported Leave, including former mining communities.
Seven Labour MPs backed the government on Tuesday's vote that gave Mrs May a mandate to seek concessions on the backstop. They included John Mann, who represents Bassetlaw, and Kevin Barron, MP for Rother Valley.
Mrs May's allies believe that she needs the backing of about 20 Labour MPs for a modified agreement to offset the number of Tory rebels, even if she wins the support of the DUP.
Labour MPs are now being wooed with the promise of local investment as Downing Street increases efforts to build a parliamentary majority before a second vote, according to The Times.
"There's a willingness to look again at coalfield communities and make good the promises that former Labour governments failed to deliver," a source told the newspaper. "It's about allowing Labour MPs representing Brexit communities to show that they have extracted something tangible in return for their vote. And, frankly, it's not an unreasonable ask."
No 10 declined to comment.
Jeremy Hunt: Brussels negotiating team hasn't changed
The Foreign Secretary confirmed the government had not changed the team which will be going back to Brussels to try and reopen the Withdrawal Agreements, despite promises made to Brexiteer MPs.
Mr Hunt said Olly Robbins will still head the negotiating team, and confirmed reports Crawford Falconer will not be joining the delegation, as Brexiteers had hoped.
"To my knowledge there has not been a change to the team," Mr Hunt said, but added he is sure it will "tap into" Mr Falconer's expertise.
It comes as the Telegraph reported Mr Robbins warned against backing a Tory plan to go back to Brussels and reopen negotiations in a series of emails to senior officials.
He allegedly questioned whether the EU will be willing to make significant legal changes to the backstop.
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