Theresa May reaches out to unions and Labour MPs in unprecedented bid to force deal through

Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, and Lord Guthrie, former chief of the defence staff, have written to chairmen of Conservative Party associations calling on them to reject Theresa May's Brexit deal.

The pair said the deal "will threaten the national security of the country in fundamental ways". They ask the chairmen to urge their MPs not to vote for the agreement.

Parliament's annual pancake race has been cancelled because of Brexit protesters in Westminster.

The charity Rehab, which organises the event, told MPs due to take part that it would not be going ahead because of “the intense level of activity around Westminster arising from the ongoing Brexit debate”.

It comes after Tory MP Anna Soubry was abused and called a Nazi as she walked from College Green to Parliament.

Rehab said it would not be "appropriate to stage the pancake race against the background of this activity and the unique debate taking place this year".

Speaking in the Brexit debate in the Commons, Labour MP David Lammy has torn into Brexiteers on his own side. 

He says:

"Why do so many in this House continue to support Brexit when they know it will wreck jobs, the NHS and our standing in the world?

"This is the dishonesty at the heart of the Brexit debate. Most MPs must now recognise in private but do not say it in public: Brexit is a con, a trick, a swindle, a fraud, a deception that will hurt most of those people it promised to help, a dangerous fantasy that will make every problem it claims to solve worse, a campaign won on false promises and lies."

Criticising Labour's position on Brexit, he adds:

"As Martin Luther King said long ago, there comes a time when silence is betrayal.

So just as I speak plainly to the government, let me also speak to the opposition about some home truths.

There is no left-wing justification for Brexit. Ditching workers rights, social protections and ending environmental co-operation is not progressive. This is a project about neoliberal deregulation. It's Thatcherism on steroids, pushed by her modern-day disciples. 

"The party of Keir Hardie has always been international. We must not let down our young supporters by failing to stand with them on the biggest of our lives."

Full story: Theresa May's Brexit deal will 'threaten national security', warns former head of MI6

Trudy Harrison becomes the second Tory MP who previously criticised Theresa May's Brexit deal to say she will now vote for it. 

She tells the Commons she looks forward to getting the deal "over the line".

Ouch. After a phone call with Theresa May, GMB general secretary Tim Roache says:

"I represent 620,000 working people and it’s about time their voices were heard. After nearly three years I’m glad the prime minister finally picked up the phone.

"As you would expect, I was very clear about GMB’s position - the deal on the table isn’t good enough and non-binding assurances on workers' rights won’t cut it. 

"If the deal genuinely did the job for GMB members, our union would support it, but it doesn’t. It’s clear more time is required, we need to extend Article 50 and ultimately give the final say on Brexit to the public.”

We're expecting Theresa May's joint press conference with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to begin shortly. 

Theresa May is now speaking from No 10 alongside Shinzo Abe. 

She celebrates the links between the two countries. I'd type it out for you, but it really wasn't worth it. 

Speaking after the prime minister, Mr Abe says it is the "strong will of Japan" to further develop its relationship with the UK and to forge a closer partnership after Brexit.

He says he hopes the UK avoids a no-deal Brexit, saying this is "the wish of the whole world". Japan supports Ms May's Brexit deal, he adds.

During the Q&A, Theresa May is asked if she will categorically rule out both a no-deal Brexit and a permanent customs union. 

She dodges both, saying her deal is a good deal. The only way to avoid no deal is to support her agreement, she says. 

Theresa May is asked about John Bercow's decision to allow a vote on Dominic Grieve's amendment yesterday, which sparked fury from the government and Brexiteer MPs.

She says the issue of confidence in the Speaker is a matter for the Commons, not the government, but, interestingly, adds:

"Members of Parliament need to know that there is a set of rules in the House of Commons, they need to know that there will be a consistent interpretation of those rules."

She says she was "surprised" by Mr Bercow's decision to allow the vote and "it is for the Speaker to explain that decision".