Brexit news: MPs reject every single indicative vote option as Theresa May vows to quit to get her deal passed
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Your support makes all the difference.MPs have failed to unite around any Brexit strategy after a series of indicative votes revealed no majority in the Commons for any plan.
Attempts to break the Brexit impasse floundered when MPs rejected eight different options, including a fresh referendum, a customs union and a no-deal exit.
In a dramatic day in Westminster, Theresa May told Tory MPs she will resign before the next phase of Brexit talks, in an attempt to secure support for her deal.
Addressing the 1922 committee of backbench Conservatives, the prime minister said she “would not remain in post for the next phase of the negotiations”, making way for a successor once her Brexit deal has passed.
Senior Brexiteers including Boris Johnson and Iain Duncan Smith signalled they would pivot to back the prime minister’s deal – but the DUP dealt Ms May a fresh blow by refusing to support her.
But it seems her offered sacrifice may have been in vain, as the Democratic Unionist Party announced it would not back a deal which “poses an unacceptable threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom”.
In a potentially fatal blow to Ms May’s chances, DUP leader Arlene Foster said the Northern Irish party “cannot sign up” to the deal because of its controversial “backstop” provisions.
Westminster leader Nigel Dodds made clear the party’s 10 MPs will vote against the deal if it is brought back for a third “meaningful vote”, declaring: “The DUP do not abstain on the Union.”
The decision leaves Ms May in need of the votes of large numbers of Labour MPs or rebel Tory Brexiteers, many of whom are expected to be strongly influenced by the DUP’s stance.
She has indicated she will only make a third attempt to pass the deal, following its overwhelming defeat by 230 votes in January and 149 in March, if she has a credible chance of success.
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A source in the European Research Group sends an extraordinary readout of tonight's meeting.
"There was as ENORMOUS standing ovation for Steve Baker tonight. The first there’s been at one of these ERG meetings in three years.
"His voice was cracking with emotion, so much so that at the end he was hugged by Jacob [Rees-Mogg] and others at the top table. We are not a hugging group."
Apparently "there is no way enough votes are coming out of that room" to put the Brexit deal through the Commons.
Steve Baker told the group of Tory Brexiteers: "I’m consumed with a ferocious rage after that pantomime...
"What is our liberty for if not to govern ourselves?
"Like all of you I have wrestled with my conscience about what to do?
"I could tear this place down and bulldoze it into the river. These fools and knaves and cowards are voting on things they don’t even understand.
"We’ve been put in this place by people whose addiction to power without responsibility has led them to put the choice of No Brexit or this deal.
"I may yet resign the whip than be part of this."
Theresa May’s announcement that she will stand down after Brexit is delivered will trigger a battle for the succession as rival candidates jockey for position.
The Independent's Andrew Grice casts an expert eye over the runners and riders for the top job:
Peers have backed the extension of Brexit day after being warned that failing to do so threatened conflict and confusion.
Brexit minister Lord Callanan said it was "absolutely critical" the Lords agreed to extend the date to April 12 or May 22.
Introducing regulations to change the exit date from March 29, Lord Callanan said they were crucial to avoid conflict between UK and EU law.
For Labour, Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town agreed the change was necessary but branded the move a "humiliation" for ministers who had repeatedly pledged the UK would leave the EU on Friday.
MPs are currently debating the same issue in the Commons. It has to pass through both chambers.
Labour had whipped its MPs to support the Beckett amendment, which calls for a confirmatory referendum. The Great Grimsby MP is a vocal opponent of a second referendum - see this piece in her local paper earlier this year:
Theresa May has told Conservative MPs at a closed meeting that she will step aside as prime minister after she has delivered Brexit.
Here The Independent takes a look at possible scenarios following PM's announcement to the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers.
BREAKING: DUP says it WON'T back the government, in a significant blow to Theresa May.
Full statement here:
The DUP and the government have had good discussions in recent days and some progress on domestic legislation has been made. All concerned recognise the need to ensure that as we leave the European Union the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom is maintained.
However, given the fact that the necessary changes we seek to the backstop have not been secured between the government and the European Union, and the remaining and ongoing strategic risk that Northern Ireland would be trapped in backstop arrangements at the end of the implementation period, we will not be supporting the government if they table a fresh meaningful vote.
The backstop if operational has the potential to create an internal trade border within the United Kingdom and would cut us off from our main internal market, being Great Britain.
We want to secure the United Kingdom’s departure from, and our future relationship with, the European Union on terms that accord with our key objectives to ensure the integrity of the United Kingdom.
In our view the current withdrawal agreement does not do so and the backstop, which we warned this government against from its first inception, poses an unacceptable threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom and will inevitably limit the United Kingdom’s ability to negotiate on the type of future relationship with the EU.
Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, explains the decision not to back the government.
MPs are now voting on the statutory instrument, which would amend the Brexit date in law. The UK is currently due to leave the EU on March 29 - this Friday - but the EU has agreed to extend it to either May 22 if Theresa May's deal is passed this week or April 12 if not.
Result expected at around 9.15pm.
The government has won the vote to change the date of Brexit by 441 votes to 105 votes.
Speaker John Bercow has suspended the sitting of the Commons until the results of the indicative votes are available.
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