Brexit news - live: Theresa May's ministers meet Labour's top team for talks, as PM delays Queen's speech

Good morning and welcome to The Independent's politics live blog at the start of what looks set to be another dramatic week in Westminster.

Pressure is mounting on both Labour and the Conservatives as the two parties resume talks aimed at breaking the Brexit impasse.

Jeremy Corbyn is facing growing pressure to back a second Brexit referendum ahead of a crunch meeting of his party's ruling national committee, which will make a decision on the issue on Tuesday. The row is likely to dominate a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party tonight.

The Tories, meanwhile, are braced for wipeout in local elections on Thursday amid anger among supporters over the UK's delayed departure from the EU. One poll has predicted they could lose as many as 800 council seats across the country.

Labour could sign up to a Brexit deal without a fresh referendum attached if the government makes significant concessions in the ongoing talks, the shadow business secretary has suggested.

Asked if the inclusion of a public vote was a “red line” for Labour in the negotiations, Rebecca Long-Bailey said the party was not “hugely prescriptive” on its terms. 

Her comments will be a blow to pro-EU supporters as shadow chancellor John McDonnell prepares for talks with Tory counterpart Philip Hammond today. My colleague Lizzy Buchan has the full story: 

Some 115 MPs and MEPs have signed a letter urging members of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) to explicitly back a second referendum in the manifesto.

The letter, organised by the Love Socialism Hate Brexit group of MPs, comes ahead of a crunch meeting of the NEC tomorrow that will determine the party's stance on the issue.

Twenty-two Labour candidates in the European elections have also pledged to campaign for a referendum and back efforts to remain in the EU regardless of the party's decision.

Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson used his Twitter account to urge followers to lobby NEC members to back a public vote.

But calls for a second referendum are divisive within the top ranks of the Labour movement, with concerns that the party could alienate voters in Leave-supporting heartlands.

The Conservatives face losing 800 seats in the upcoming local elections amid grassroots fury over Brexit, according to polling analysis.

Theresa May's party could lose almost a fifth of Tory-held seats, if Election expert and Tory peer Robert Hayward's predictions are correct.

Lord Hayward said the Liberal Democrats were most likely to capitalise on the collapse in Tory support, picking up more than 500 seats, while Labour could claw back around 300.

Political correspondent Lizzy Buchan has more details:

Twenty-two of Labour's European election candidates have signed a pledge to campaign for a referendum on any Brexit deal and to vote to remain in the UK, reports my colleague Ashley Cowburn.

The signatories include 12 current members of the European parliament, alongside the leader of Labour's MEP's Richard Corbett and his deputy Seb Dance.

The pledge - organised by the grassroots Remain Labour campaign - commits the candidate, if elected as an MEP, to "campaign to give the people the Final Say, with a referendum that offers a choice between a Brexit deal and the option to Remain in the EU". 

Cross-party talks aimed at ending the Brexit impasse are to resume later today, although there is little optimism about a breakthrough.

The Conservatives hope Britain's participation in the 23 May European elections - in which the Tories are expected to be beaten into third place by Nigel Farage's Brexit Party - can be avoided if a compromise deal can get through parliament before polling day.

But Labour has played down the prospects of a breakthrough in the cross-party talks, accusing Theresa May of refusing to budge on her red lines.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, have accused Labour of stalling, something which shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey denied on Sunday.

She told Sky News: "I think the discussions so far have been productive, they've gone into a lot of detail, there seems to be a willingness on both sides to move towards some form of consensus.

"As yet we haven't seen the government move on any of their red lines, we're having further discussions this week and hopefully we'll see some movement."

Long-Bailey will join shadow chancellor John McDonnell, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman and senior aides in talks with government counterparts this afternoon.

The Brexit impasse was caused by Theresa May "rushing in" to discussions on the terms of the UK's divorce from the EU rather than insisting they should take place in parallel with trade talks, a former director general of the World Trade Organisation has said.

Pascal Lamy told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "My view is that we may have made the wrong choice in deciding that we would negotiate first the Withdrawal Agreement - which is a sort of divorce agreement - and then the rest."

May's government initially argued that the issues of withdrawal and future relations should be negotiated together, but swiftly folded in 2017 as Brussels insisted the divorce must be settled first.

"She was in a hurry, she was under huge pressure from Boris Johnson, Brexiters and the rest and she said 'Brexit is Brexit, we will Brexit' and they rushed into this first stage without understanding that this huge unclarity on the next stage would have a big bearing on the discussion," said Lamy.

He added: "I know full well from experience that negotiating a trade agreement takes years and years, so I understand why they couldn't wait for that in order to Brexit for those of the British public who wanted to Brexit rapidly."

It was now time for the EU to offer "clarity" on future relations to allay the fears of both Brexiters and Remainers that the UK will be "cheated", said Lamy, who led the WTO between 2005 and 2013.

He suggested both sides should seek a "totally open trade relationship", retaining as much as possible of current arrangements.

Jeremy Hunt is today setting out on a week-long trip to Africa with the goal of boosting trade and diplomatic links as the UK seeks post-Brexit allies.

In his first trip to the continent as foreign secretary, Mr Hunt will seek to increase the UK's presence in French-speaking countries where it has previously played a more minor role.

Mr Hunt said he wanted to work "within and alongside" African nations to tackle international threats and forge new opportunities as the UK leaves the EU.

The trip will take in Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya.

As part of the drive to expand British influence, the UK is funding an almost £4m English language programme in French and Portuguese-speaking countries aimed at reaching 7.5 million young people a year.

Mr Hunt said:

Africa is a continent growing at an extraordinary rate, full of transformative potential.

In a future where Britain is no longer a member of the EU, I want us to work within and alongside African nations to make sure, together, we combat the threats we all face, and capitalise on the opportunities open to people wherever they live.

To do this, I want to set out the stall for the UK to be the new partner of choice across Africa.

After the government was granted its Article 50 extension, the question of EU withdrawal seems to have slipped down the news agenda, writes Will Gore.