Brexit - as it happened: Theresa May must understand 'Britain is not the EU's equal', Leo Varadkar says

Welcome to The Independent's liveblog, where we will be bringing you all the latest politics updates throughout the day. 

The Taoiseach has warned time is running out for Britain to seal a withdrawal agreement with the EU by October.

Leo Varadkar travels to Brussels today for a meeting of leaders at the European Council and said preparations for all outcomes were intensifying in Ireland.

The future of the Irish border is one of the most vexed issues outstanding in the Brexit negotiations.

Mr Varadkar said: "Time is running out for the withdrawal agreement to be concluded satisfactorily by the October council.

"I expect EU leaders to send a strong message to the UK that negotiations with the taskforce need to intensify.

"The lack of progress in the negotiations on the withdrawal agreement has been very disappointing.

"We still need to see detailed proposals from the UK on how it intends to deliver on the clear commitments it made in December and March."

He said preparations were continuing and "intensifying for all outcomes".

Driving the day today is Theresa May's trip to the European Council summit in Brussels.

The prime minister will have an awkward time explaining to Angela Merkel and other EU counterparts why her cabinet is still at odds on so many major issues, hampering progress in the talks.

Europe correspondent Jon Stone sets the scene here:

Theresa May has been "undermined" and risks signing up to the "very worst" Brexit deal for Britain, her former chief of staff has said.

Nick Timothy - who was one of the PM's closest aides until his resignation after the general election - has written in the Telegraph that "the time for playing nice and being exploited is over" and that Britain must "toughen up".

He said: "Britain's negotiating position is far from hopeless.

"Member states are divided about what the Brexit deal should say about security and trade. Almost all, in their different ways, want a sensible agreement.

"But the time for playing nice and being exploited is over. Of course we must negotiate in good faith. And we will need to compromise.

"The time for sincere co-operation with a partner that does not want to sincerely co-operate is over: we must toughen up."

Donald Tusk, the European Council president, has told EU countries to prepare for “worst-case scenarios” as relations with the US under Donald Trump rapidly deteriorate.

Mr Tusk wrote to EU states setting out his concern amid a growing trade war, but said “divisions” also go further and that Mr Trump’s behaviour threatens the West’s unity.

More here:

In parliament, International Trade questions are beginning.

Theresa May's former parliamentary private secretary, George Hollingberry is making his debut at the despatch box. He was appointed as an International Trade minister after Greg Hands resigned last week so he could vote against the government over the third runway at Heathrow.

Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, pays tribute to Mr Hands, saying he is one of the 'best ministers I've ever worked with'.

The UK population has risen by its lowest rate for over a decade, according to the first official population estimates since Brexit vote.

Immigration from people looking for work has plummeted by 43 per cent, the Office for National Statistics found, citing the EU referendum as one of the key drivers of change.

Demographers' latest calculations show there were an estimated 66,040,229m people living in the country at the end of June last year.

Over the 12 months to the middle of 2017, the number of inhabitants increased by 392,000 people - or 0.6 per cent, the lowest growth rate since mid-2004.

The Migration Statistics Quarterly Bulletin for the period noted that: "The number of people immigrating for a definite job has remained stable but there has been a 43 per cent decrease in the number of people immigrating to look for work over the last year, especially for EU citizens.

"These changes suggest that Brexit is likely to be a factor in people's decision to move to or from the UK - but decisions to migrate are complex and other factors are also going to be influencing the figures."

Labour's Barry Gardiner attacks the government on climate change targets, after a damning report by the committee on climate change.

He asks why the latest figures show 99.4% of support UK export finance gives to the energy sector goes to fossil fuels.

Liam Fox mocks him by saying the session is only 30 mins long. He also says he's had talks about using UK export finance to further use of renewables.

Here's our piece on the report:

Breaking news on the much-anticipated Intelligence and Security Committee report on rendition.

Here's the Press Association's snap report:

The UK tolerated "inexcusable" treatment of detainees by the US during the war on terror following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, a parliamentary committee has found.

The Intelligence and Security Committee found no "smoking gun" indicating that security and intelligence agencies had a policy of deliberately overlooking reports of mistreatment and no evidence that UK officers directly carried out physical mistreatment of detainees.

But it said it was "beyond doubt" that British intelligence agencies knew at an early stage that the US was mistreating detainees.

And "more could have been done" by both security agencies and Government ministers in the UK to try to influence US behaviour, the report found.

In 232 cases, UK personnel continued to supply questions or intelligence to allies after they knew or suspected mistreatment, said the ISC.

And in 198 cases, they received intelligence obtained from detainees who they knew or should have suspected had been mistreated.

There were at least 38 cases in 2002 alone of British officers witnessing or hearing about mistreatment.

The committee rejected agencies' claims that these amounts to no more than "isolated incidents", stating: "They may have been isolated incidents to the individual officer witnessing them, but they cannot be considered 'isolated' to those in Head Office.

"It is difficult to comprehend how those at the top of the office did not recognise the pattern of mistreatment by the US.

"That the US, and others, were mistreating detainees is beyond doubt, as is the fact that the Agencies and Defence Intelligence were aware of this at an early point."

Labour MP Danielle Rowley tells the Commons she is on her period this week and it has already cost her £25 in sanitary products. She says many people can't afford it.

Minister Victoria Atkins says the government is committed to removing VAT from sanitary products and praises her for her comments.

Labour's Carolyn Harris asks about free sanitary products in schools.

The minister says the government is looking closely at a pilot project in Scotland and will consider the outcomes.