Brexit news - LIVE: Rory Stewart attacks Boris Johnson as Labour reveals plan to block no deal
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Your support makes all the difference.Labour has joined with MPs from other parties, including senior Conservatives, to launch a fresh bid to block a no-deal Brexit. The party will force a vote on Wednesday on a motion to stop the government taking Britain out of the EU without an exit deal.
The news came shortly after the EU dismissed Tory leadership candidates’ claims that they will be able to renegotiate Theresa May’s deal. A spokesperson for the European Commission insisted the bloc would “not change the parameters of what is on the table”.
Boris Johnson picked up further endorsements from Tory Brexiteers to succeed Ms May. Launching his leadership bid on Tuesday evening, Rory Stewart attacked the credentials of Mr Johnson and jokingly compared him to a “prancing elephant”.
Having sounded positive about Labour’s proposal to block a no deal Brexit, it appears Tory leadership hopeful Rory Stewart is backing out. He says he has now read the motion produced by the opposition and doesn’t like it.
If you missed some of the strange moments in today’s Tory leadership campaign, here’s a rundown of the most bizarre twists and turns.
Mark Harper was forced to address one of the weightiest issues facing any new prime minister: who would win a fight between a lion and a bear? At his launch event, he said: “On the basis that the lion is the symbol of Britain, I’m going to say the lion.”
Lorraine Kelly said she was “baffled” by Esther McVey’s claim that she was promoted above her at GMTV and took aim at the presenter-turned-politician’s policy platform, saying: “I strongly disagree with her on LGBT rights.”
Andrea Leadsom reignited her feud with Speaker John Bercow, brandishing a sign saying “Bollocks to Bercow” at a lunch in Westminster. A “Bollocks to Brexit” sticker has been spotted on Bercow’s wife Sally’s car.
Sajid Javid launched a slick promotional video, setting out his personal journey from being the son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver to holding one of the great offices of state, but a lot of the focus was on Javid’s pet dog Bailey.
And Rory Stewart was seen making friends with his potential new cat, Number 10’s Larry, as the International development secretary arrived for Cabinet.
Tory leadership hopeful Andrea Leadsom has claimed it would not be possible for parliament or Speaker John Bercow to block a no-deal Brexit if the government wants to deliver it.
Here’s our political editor Andrew Woodcock with all the details.
More details on that Labour-led motion for Wednesday, tabled by Jeremy Corbyn, aimed at preventing the government from forcing through a no deal Brexit.
Backed by Lib Dem leader Vince Cable and Tory MP Oliver Letwin, it would clear the agenda on 25 June, giving MPs the chance to introduce legislation.
The Tory leadership candidates’ historical drug use has hoovered up a lot of attention over the past few days, but Michael Gove was not even asked about his cocaine admission at a party hustings for MPs today.
One of Gove’s supporters, Nicky Morgan, said the environment secretary spoke about appealing to women and young people, and set out his stall on education and security – but that “nothing at all” came up about the revelations over the weekend.
He was asked by the chancellor Philip Hammond if he would commit to fighting the contest to the end, to which Morgan said he told him: “100% I will do that – we can’t have another coronation.”
Scotland will “always be” a European nation, Nicola Sturgeon declared during her visit to Brussels today.
The first minister insisted this was a “basic truth”, arguing that Scotland identified with the same values of “internationalism, solidarity and co-operation”.
Ms Sturgeon said that in the “battle of ideas which is confronting many European countries”, Scotland and its people had “consistently supported ideals of internationalism, European solidarity and co-operation”.
And addressing the European Policy Centre think tank in Brussels, she also claimed Scotland and the rest of the UK are “increasingly” on different political paths.
With the SNP leader also pushing for a second vote on independence, Ms Sturgeon said she hoped Scotland's separate stance was being “acknowledged and welcomed” in Europe.
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