As it happenedended

Brexit news - live: Tories prompt confusion over European election plan as Change UK face second racism resignation in 24 hours

Ashley Cowburn

Political Correspondent

Wednesday 24 April 2019 10:05 EDT

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Theresa May participates as marshal Easter race in Maidenhead

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Senior Conservative backbenchers are expected to regroup today and decide whether to press ahead for changes to the party's rule book to enable an early leadership challenge to Theresa May.

It comes after MPs on the Tory 1922 Committee failed to reach a decision on Tuesday night amid growing pressure on the prime minister to name the date of her departure.

Ms May and Jeremy Corbyn have travelled to Belfast to attend the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee, leaving the PM's deputy David Lidington and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry to face off over Brexit and Northern Ireland at prime minister's questions.

During the session, Mr Lidington said both parties were making a "genuine attempt" to reach a solution to the Brexit impasse at Westminster, and said cross-party talks between negotiating teams hd been "constructive".

Ms Thornberry also used her remarks to urge the government to be "serious" about "putting the country first" by putting the option of a customs union - something Labour has demanded - on the table.

The shadow foreign secretary also criticised the forthcoming state visit by the US President Donald Trump, claiming: "The government is going to spend millions giving Donald Trump the red carpet, golden carriage treatment in June."

This live blog has now closed, but you can follow Wednesday's events below

Theresa May has accused Labour of dragging its heels in the talks to find a Brexit compromiseOn Tuesday, Theresa May accused Labour of dragging its heels in the bid to find a cross-party compromise to deliver Brexit.“The discussions with Labour have been serious but had also been difficult in some areas, such as in relation to the timetable for the negotiations,” the prime minister told her cabinet.No 10 fears Jeremy Corbyn does not share Ms May’s desire to avoid next month’s European parliament elections – which would require an agreement within days.

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2019 08:27

John Bercow under pressure to lift ban on Donald Trump giving speech in parliamentHours after the US president's state visit was announced, Lord Fowler, the lord speaker, insisted "there is a strong case for a speech by the president particularly on such an important anniversary"

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2019 08:28

Senior Conservative backbenchers are expected to regroup today and decide whether to press ahead for changes to the party's rule book to enable an early leadership challenge to Theresa May.

It comes after MPs on the Tories' 1922 Committee failed to reach a decision on Tuesday evening at Westminster amid growing pressure on the prime minister to name the date of her departure.

It is reported that there will be further discussions ahead of the weekly meeting of the full 1922 Committee on Wednesday.

Under current party rules, MPs cannot mount a fresh leadership challenge until 12 months after last December's failed attempt.

However, amid growing frustration over the latest delays to Brexit, some MPs now want to the rules to be rewritten to allow another challenge as early as June.

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2019 08:31

Breaking: Downing Street has just announced Theresa May will travel to Belfast today to attend the funeral of Lyra McKee, who was murdered last week.

Stepping in for her at prime minister's questions will be her effective deputy, David Lidington.

Here is a piece from the Indy's Ben Kelly on the killing of the prominent journalist

The writing is on the wall in Derry for those who killed Lyra McKee

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2019 09:14

Former British negotiator to Northern Ireland Jonathan Powell has said Brexit is contributing to sectarian violence in Northern Ireland – although he was careful to stress it was not the cause.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "I think it would be quite wrong to say either the political crisis in Northern Ireland - the institutions having fallen over and not being put back up again, the essence of the Good Friday Agreement - nor Brexit caused this.

"The trouble with it is it's sitting out there as a political crisis and this sort of mindless violence can then fall into that."

"If we [the government] took stupid steps this could lead to a real crisis.

"I don't believe for a second the British government will do that, but the fact the political crisis is out there - both Brexit and the failure to put the institutions up again - is a real problem and that is a tinder for this kind of violence.

"This kind of violence is pointless by itself but it could affect this political wasteland out there, which is not really being addressed by the British government in a sufficient way."

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2019 09:21

Ann Widdecombe is standing as a candidate for Nigel Farage's Brexit PartyFormer Tory minister Ann Widdecombe has declared she will stand as a candidate for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party in the upcoming European elections.The 71-year-old will be the party's lead candidate for the South West in next month's polls, in an unexpected return to frontline politics after her retirement in 2010.Ms Widdecombe said she felt "compelled" to return to the fray over her disgust at the handing of Brexit, and to allow the public to "fire a very loud warning shot across the bows of the parties they would normally support".

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2019 09:26

Sketch: The only thing Change UK wants to change is the peopleAt the party’s election launch, it wasn’t even a case of going over the same old Brexit arguments, but resuscitating ancient ones that died long ago, writes the Indy's political sketch writer Tom Peck.

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2019 09:35

Jeremy Corbyn's team has confirmed he will also travel to Belfast for the funeral of the murdered journalist Lyra McKee later today.

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2019 09:41

The Trump baby balloon will be back - and it could be even biggerAnti-Trump activists have revealed the Donald Trump baby blimp will fly over London once again this summer in protest against the US president’s state visit to the UK.The six-metre-high balloon – depicting Mr Trump as an orange, nappy-wearing infant – was first hoisted in Parliament Square during his visit to Britain last year and campaigners are hoping to stage even bigger demonstrations when he arrives in June.Leo Murray, who helped crowdfund the blimp last year, and his fellow activists are reportedly “toying” with the idea of raising money for a baby hot air balloon about five times the size of the original balloon.

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2019 09:58

How the Tories can find their way out of the Brexit bedlamIt’s all too easy for Tories to become grumpy pessimists, says Damian Green, the former effective deputy prime minister, who says his party must adapt to change as they have done so previously.

Ashley Cowburn24 April 2019 10:09

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