Brexit news: Theresa May interrogated over no-deal ferry contract at PMQs as Tories lash out over aide's overheard comments
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May has come under reneweed pressure over a botched no-deal ferry contract handed to a firm which had no ships.
The decision to award the £13.8m deal to Seaborne Freight was widely mocked at the time, and transport secretary Chris Grayling faced calls to resign over the matter amid claims that he misled MPs about whether taxpayers' money had been spent on the contract.
The prime minister also faced anger from MPs after her top Brexit aide was overheard describing plans to offer MPs with a last-minute choice between her deal and a "long" delay.
In a move that enraged Brexiteers, Olly Robbins was reportedly overheard in a Brussels hotel bar telling colleagues the EU would probably give the government an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process.
To follow events as they unfolded, see out live coverage
Tory Henry Smith also picks up on Robbins, saying 'notwithstanding Brussels bar room chatter, will the PM rule out extending Article 50 and forming a new customs union?'
May dismisses the rumours as 'something someone said to someone else that someone overheard in a bar'. She says the government hopes to leave the EU with a deal on March 29.
Conservative MP Gareth Johnson says stop and search is an effective tool in the battle against knife crime.
May says she agrees, it can be very useful when used effectively. What we want the police to do is use it properly and lawfully.
Labour's Stephen McCabe challenges May on her promise to crack down on rip off energy tariffs after Ofgem announcement that the cap was lifted.
May says her government brought in the price cap and 11m people have benefitted from this.
My colleague has been covering the Seaborne Freight, and tweets these thoughts:
George Freeman, Tory MP, says the government should look at stripping people Sir Philip Green of their honours. The Arcadia boss has been in the spotlight over bullying and abuse allegations.
May says those who bring the honours system into disrepute can have their honours taken away by the independent forfeiture committee. Is she hinting that Green could lose his knighthood?
Strong question from Tory MP Heidi Allen about the link between universal credit and food bank usage, after work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd admitted there could be a correlation.
She said the welfare system is not acting as a safety net but is tangling around people's feet.
May says the government continues to look at UC but defends it overall.
Labour MP Peter Kyle asks May to meet him to discuss confirmatory votes, where MPs back a deal then put it to the public. He wrote about this in the Indy at the weekend.
May says she does not support a second referendum but she is holding lots of talks, and she will meet him or one of her ministers will.
Conservative Giles Watling asks the PM to stop the sale of cat and dog meat 'as they are our friends'. He has tabled an amendment to the Agriculture Bill on the issue.
May says it is illegal to sell dog and cat meat in the UK and little evidence that it is being eaten here. She says the government always pursues the highest standards of animal welfare.
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