Brexit news: Theresa May risks Brexiteer fury by assuring EU leaders that backstop will remain in deal

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has torn into Labour for saying it could support the Brexit deal.

"Jeremy Corbyn's confirmation that he will throw support behind Theresa May's disastrous Brexit deal is a severe blow to businesses, workers and people across the UK who are rightly concerned over the impact of Brexit," he said.

"The attempt by the Labour leader to mask this as anything other than support for a Tory-driven, economy-wrecking Brexit deal is utterly disingenuous.

"Labour under Jeremy Corbyn has shifted from being the Official Opposition to the official facilitator for a Tory hard Brexit that will hit jobs and living standards across the UK."

Mr Blackford repeated calls for Theresa May to take the threat of a no-deal Brexit off the table and urged Labour "to work with the other opposition parties in holding this Tory government to account".

The Scottish Conservatives are investigating reports that one of their MPs left the House of Commons bar accompanied by police following claims of “sexual touching”. 

The alleged incident, which is believed to have involved MP Ross Thomson, took place at the Strangers' Bar in the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday night.

The Metropolitan Police said officers spoke to three men, but no formal allegations were made, and no one was arrested.

Tory MP 'leaves House of Commons bar with police' following complaints of ‘sexual touching’

Jeremy Corbyn is facing a furious backlash from pro-EU MPs after making no mention of a fresh referendum as he set out Labour’s fresh Brexit terms.

The Labour leader’s letter to Theresa May comes as the prime minister attempts to negotiate new concessions with the EU in her first visit to Brussels since her deal was defeated by a historic margin in Westminster.

Theresa May’s trip to Northern Ireland was too little, too late, says Independent business editor Caitlin Morrison. 

She writes: "The prime minister met with Northern Irish parties to discuss the Irish backstop on Wednesday, but she had nothing new for her Stormont colleagues. She could have delivered that lack of information months ago."

Interesting development here - Theresa May has risked Brexiteer fury by assuring European leaders that the divisive Irish backstop will remain in the final deal.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit chief, said Ms May told senior MEPs "there is no question to remove the backstop", which acts as an insurance policy against a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Speaking at a press conference after meeting the PM, he said: "It is important that Mrs May today in the meeting assured us that there will be a backstop, that - what she said already in Belfast - there is no question to remove the backstop.

"Because that is absolutely necessary for securing and safeguarding the Good Friday agreement, safeguarding the internal market and safeguarding also the peace process. For us, an all-weather backstop insurance is absolutely key."

This matters because the Irish backstop is THE stumbling block to May's plans. Brexiteers hate it, her DUP allies hate it and MPs voted last week for May to go back to Brussels to renegotiate it.

The PM is between a rock and a hard place though, as the EU are refusing to re-open the deal, which they would need to do to renegotiate the backstop.

Theresa May said she has rebuked Donald Tusk for "the language that he used yesterday, which was not helpful and caused widespread dismay in the United Kingdom". 

She's referring to the European Council leader's claim that there is a "special place in hell" for Brexiteers who botched the project - sparking fury in the UK.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Ms May said she had held "robust but constructive" discussions with the EU leaders.

She said: "What I've set out is our clear position that we must secure legally binding changes to the withdrawal agreement to deal with the concerns that parliament has over the backstop.

"Taking that changes to the backstop together with the other work we are doing around workers rights and other issues, will deliver a stable majority in parliament and that's what I will continue to push for."

May said it was not going to be easy but she is going to deliver Brexit on time and she will be "negotiating hard" in the next few days.

Fab picture of Theresa May and Donald Tusk after their meeting in Brussels. Mr Tusk's facial expression and the body language speak volumes...

Note that he says "no breakthrough in sight".

Two Labour MPs have said they are considering quitting the party in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

Owen Smith and Luciana Berger both suggested they would resign if the Labour leader helps Theresa May take Britain out of the EU. 

Mr Smith, a supporter of the campaign for a fresh referendum, said it was "possible" he would leave if Labour allows Brexit to happen, while Ms Berger repeatedly refused to rule out resigning.

More here: 

Andrea Leadsom has defended parliament's early finish on Wednesday after Labour MPs accused the Tories of wanting to leave so they could attend a black-tie fundraiser for their party.

The Commons Leader called the accusation "extremely offensive", after the government was criticised for allowing the House to rise four hours ahead of schedule.

This is despite plans to cancel the planned February recess because there is a backlog of Brexit legislation to get through.

Christian Matheson asked if the early finish was related to the Black and White Ball, an annual Conservative Party event held on Wednesday night in London which Theresa May and other Cabinet ministers attended.

The Labour MP for Chester asked: "Will the Leader of the House confirm that the only reason for the light business yesterday and the extremely early rising was because she and other ministers had somewhere else to be?

"Most namely going cap in hand to the dodgy Russian oligarchs and City hedge fund billionaires who are now the main source of finance for the Conservative Party."

Ms Leadsom hit back, saying that Mr Matheson was "denigrating this House".

She said: "Yesterday we were talking about compensation payments for some people who have suffered from asbestosis and other appalling conditions.

"What the Government seeks to do is provide adequate time for debate. The Government does not then grab members by the scruff of the neck and insist that they speak in that debate."

The Commons Leader added: "I also think it is extremely offensive for the Honourable Gentleman to make the assertions that he does.

Luciana Berger, the Liverpool Wavertree MP, is facing a no-confidence motion from her constituency party over her criticism of Jeremy Corbyn.

Ms Berger - herself a victim of significant antisemitic abuse - has been been a vocal critic of Labour's handling of anti-Jewish sentiment in the party. She has also criticised the party's Brexit stance.

Her CLP will debate two motions at a special meeting on February 17, according to the Red Roar blog. While these motions would be non-binding, it places huge pressure on the leadership.