Brexit news: Remain forges eight-point lead over Leave in new poll as Labour faces backlash over election leaflets

Forty-five per cent of Brits would vote to remain in the UK in a second referendum, compared to 37 per cent who would want to leave, according to EU polling.

Eighteen per cent are undecided, found the European Parliament's quarterly Eurobarometer survey.

The polling was carried out in late February and early March.

In September the same survey found a stronger Remain lead, 53-35. 

Sixty-eight per cent of Europeans who answered the EU-wide poll believed their country's membership of the bloc was a good thing - the highest rate since 1983.

Every country in the EU would vote to remain if a referendum was held tomorrow, the survey found.

However, 27 per cent of survey respondents were uncertain whether their country benefited from EU membership - increase in 19 nations.

"Despite the challenges of the past years - and in cases such as the ongoing debate surrounding Brexit possibly even because of it, the European sense of togetherness does not seem to have weakened. 68% of respondents across the EU27 believe that their countries have benefited from being part of the EU.

The EU's Brexit coordinator responds to that Eurobarometer survey:

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable has said he regrets failing to pull together a Remain coalition.

Speaking at an event to launch his party's EU election candidates, Sir Vince said he had tried to get other pro-Europe parties to stand on a "common platform to stop Brexit".

He told an audience in Wapping, east London: "It's true that the Brexit parties are also divided but we should be standing together - the millions of people in this country who voted Remain would expect us to stand together.

"It has not happened ... it was not reciprocated so we're going our own way, but it's a pity." 

He denied that the European Parliament election would be a proxy for another EU referendum, saying a second referendum would still be needed because "that's the only way of resolving the issue".

"The EU elections will give us a sense of how people feel about it but they won't give a clear answer to that question," he added.

Vince Cable speaks at the launch of his Lib Dems' EU election campaign 

Away from Brexit, the row over the leak of highly-secretive National Security Council discussions has ramped up, with cabinet ministers warned they face having their mobile phone records trawled through to establish who was responsible for the unprecedented breach.

It comes after cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill reportedly launched a formal inquiry into the leak and issued an ultimatum to ministers.

My colleague Ashley Cowburn has the full story:

Tommy Robinson was warned he may be breaking electoral law within hours of announcing himself as a candidate for the European elections, reports Lizzie Dearden.

The English Defence League founder, real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, launched his campaign at a barbecue in Manchester on Thursday evening.

The rally had offered free burgers and hot dogs from a catering van, but Robinson police later told him giving away free food could be in violation of electoral law:

Labour politicians are writing to the party's ruling National Executive Committee demanding a "clear commitment to a confirmatory public vote on any Brexit deal" in its European election manifesto, according to ITV's political editor Robert Peston.

It comes amid anger over draft leaflets which failed to mention the party's policy on a new public vote.

The British and Irish governments are due to make an announcement this afternoon about a fresh bid to restore Stormont powersharing.

It is expected talks could take place after local council elections in Northern Ireland on 2 May.

Northern Ireland secretary Karen Bradley and Irish Minister foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney are set to hold a press conference today in Belfast.

Speaking in Derry, Bradley told the BBC: "I think we need to make sure that politicians come together and do the right thing - do the right thing for the people of Northern Ireland and get back into government."

Coveney told Irish broadcaster RTE: "I think both governments know they have a responsibility to work together to give both leadership and structure to help parties find a way of re-establishing a functioning Stormont and we will have more to say on this this afternoon."

Sinn Fein has rejected DUP leader Arlene Foster's latest offer to break the political impasse in Northern Ireland.

Foster wants a twin-track approach where the devolved institutions are restored quickly to deal with issues like running the health service, while a separate process addresses disagreements like that over same-sex marriage.

Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill has rejected that and said issues like marriage equality and protection for the Irish language need to be delivered to pave the way for restoration of the devolved institutions.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said the government hoped to bring the parties back together for talks "as soon as possible".

She added: "It's more important than ever now that Northern Ireland has strong political leadership and we hope we'll be able to bring the parties back together for talks as soon as possible."

On Wednesday Catholic peacemaking priest Father Martin Magill challenged politicians as to why it had taken the death of 29-year-old Lyra McKee to unite them, at her funeral.

An agreement has been reached to establish a new round of talks involving all the main political parties in Northern Ireland, Theresa May and Leo Varadkar have announced:

In a joint statement, the British and Irish premiers said they hoped the negotiations would quickly "re-establish to full operation the democratic institutions of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement".

They said:

In coming together with other political leaders in St Anne's Cathedral to pay tribute to Lyra McKee, we gave expression to the clear will and determination of all of the people of these islands to reject violence and to support peace and a better future for everyone in Northern Ireland.

We also heard the unmistakable message to all political leaders that people across Northern Ireland want to see a new momentum for political progress. We agree that what is now needed is actions and not just words from all of us who are in positions of leadership.

We have agreed to establish a new process of political talks, involving all the main political parties in Northern Ireland, together with the UK and Irish Governments, in accordance with the three stranded process. The aim of these talks is quickly to re-establish to full operation the democratic institutions of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement - the NI Executive, Assembly and North-South Ministerial Council - so that they can effectively serve all of the people for the future.

We have asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Tanaiste to meet later today in Belfast to set out our proposed approach and to commence the talks process as soon as possible after the local elections in Northern Ireland.

In addition, we have agreed that there should be a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference during the same period. The Conference will consider East/West relations, security cooperation, and political stability in Northern Ireland.

We understand the complexity of the underlying concerns of all parties, and the need for renewed trust, mutual respect, generosity and new thinking to resolve the issues.

May and Varadkar said they would review the progress of talks at the end of May.

What caused Stormont power-sharing crisis and what do new talks mean?

Northern Ireland has been without a functioning government for more than two years after a power-sharing agreement between the country's two biggest parties, Sinn Fein and the DUP, fell apart in acrimony. The talks announced this afternoon raise fresh hope of ending the impasse that has persisted ever since.

What caused Stormont to collapse?

The controversy over the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) triggered the fallout of the Sinn Fein/DUP-led coalition. The ill-fated eco subsidy scheme left the administration facing a potential £500m overspend and the late Sinn Fein deputy first minister Martin McGuinness quit the executive - a move that pulled the executive down - in protest at the DUP's handling of the furore. A lengthy public inquiry into the flawed energy scheme ended at the end of last year. However, one of the biggest sticking points is now the stand-off over the establishment of an Irish language act.

Are there other issues dividing the parties?

Yes, Sinn Fein and the DUP are at odds over the region's ongoing ban on same sex marriage. The pro-Brexit DUP and pro-Remain Sinn Fein have very different takes on the UK's exit from the EU as well. Stalled mechanisms to deal with the legacy of the Troubles is another source of contention. But there is a growing view that none of these would, in themselves, prevent an executive being formed. It seemingly all hinges on the Irish language, which is a key Sinn Fein demand.

What has been the impact on the public services in Northern Ireland?

The health and education sectors, among many other government departments, have suffered financially since the collapse of Stormont. Representatives from nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools have raised major concerns over budget cuts. Staff from schools have highlighted the issues over the shortfall in Northern Ireland's education budget to MPs. Staff have said they are at breaking point because of the challenges. The health sector also continues to suffer with growing waiting lists and staff shortages. Health professionals have complained about the waiting lists - the highest in the UK - but without a minister to address questions it's difficult to get a clear picture of the extent of the problem as well as addressing it.

How did previous talks end?

Despite a number of efforts to reconcile the two largest parties, talks have ended in failure. The last talks process to restore devolved government broke down on Valentine's Day 2018 after the two parties clashed on what had actually been agreed. In the last round of talks, Nothern Ireland secretary Karen Bradley cut MLAs wages to put pressure on politicians. In February this year, Bradley initiated discussions between the main parties, however that too ended without any consensus on the outstanding issues.

What is the latest round of talks about and why now?

The fresh round of talks comes after several political parties wrote to Bradley in the wake of the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in Derry. The DUP says it wants to see the Northern Ireland Assembly up and running immediately, and has called for a time-limited process to deal with outstanding issues. This idea, however, was rejected by Sinn Fein in September 2017. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald this week said that her party will not "capitulate" on an Irish language act for Northern Ireland in a bid to resolve the political impasse. The all-party discussions are expected to start after next week's council elections.

Labour has gone into "complete meltdown" over the party's EU election leaflets that make no mention of a new Brexit referendum, an MP has told The Independent. 

Supporters of a fresh public vote are said to be "utterly furious" at a perceived attempt to undermine party policy, reports my colleague Benjamin Kentish: