By Amber Rudd, Work and Pensions Secretary (*) - Brexit is in danger of getting stuck – and that is something that should worry us all. If MPs dig in against the Prime Minister’s deal and then hunker down in their different corners, none with a majority, the country will face serious trouble.
A rise in hotel and cruise bookings has helped European travel group Tui sail through another year with more than 10% growth in profits. It said next year, profits would grow a similar amount as customers also bought more excursions and holiday activities. Tui has seen double-digit growth for the last four years.
European Union leaders have said the Brexit withdrawal agreement is “not open for renegotiation”, despite appeals from Theresa May. She wanted legal assurances on the Irish backstop to help her deal get through Parliament after she delayed a Commons vote in anticipation of defeat.
Prime Minister Theresa May has won a vote of confidence in her leadership of the Conservative Party by 200 to 117. After securing 63% of the total vote, she is now immune from a leadership challenge for a year. Speaking in Downing Street, she vowed to deliver the Brexit people voted for but said she had listened to the concerns of MPs who voted against her.
Britain must revoke its notice to quit the European Union with immediate effect to allow for “serious and profound reflection” by both parliament and the people, former Prime Minister John Major said on Tuesday.
Theresa May will meet European leaders and EU officials later for talks aimed at rescuing her Brexit deal. She will hold talks with Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Germany's Angela Merkel after postponing MPs' final vote on the deal. The UK PM has said she needs further assurances about the Northern Ireland border plan to get Commons backing.
The European Court of Justice has ruled the UK can cancel Brexit without the permission of the other 27 EU members. The ECJ judges ruled this could be done without altering the terms of Britain's membership.
Theresa May says she has called off Tuesday's crucial vote on her Brexit deal because it “would be rejected by a significant margin”. She said MPs backed much of the deal she has struck with the EU but there was concern over the Northern Irish backstop.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is to rule on whether or not the UK can cancel Brexit without the permission of the other 27 EU members. A group of anti-Brexit politicians and campaigners has argued that the UK should be able to unilaterally halt the Brexit process if it wants to do so.
Commons vote on Tuesday will not be delayed, the Brexit Secretary has said, amid growing calls for the PM to go back to Brussels to renegotiate. Stephen Barclay also said Theresa May could stay in post if, as expected, MPs reject her Brexit plan.