UK ministers have been told judgment day is coming over Brexit as the UK and EU strive for a deal within 48 hours. Officials are trying to hammer out an agreement on the terms of the UK's exit by Wednesday to enable EU leaders to agree it by the end of the month.
British Labour party members are to vote on keeping “all options on the table” on Brexit, including possibly campaigning for a new referendum at their conference. Party power brokers have agreed on the wording for Tuesday's motion on what the party should do about Brexit if it cannot get a general election.
A furious reaction to the first batch of no-deal Brexit preparation papers has come in from across the UK. The documents have shown up the UK’s no-deal plans as a bluff that was “fooling no-one”, said Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones. “The writing is on the wall,” he said.
UK and EU have agreed on a “large part” of the agreement that will lead to the “orderly withdrawal” of the UK. Negotiators Michel Barnier and David Davis said the deal on what the UK calls the implementation period was a “decisive step” in the Brexit process, although some of the issues still to be resolved include the Northern Ireland border.
The marathon bill paving the way for Britain to leave the European Union passed a crucial stage in the House of Commons on Wednesday night. With support of 324 MPs, and the opposition of 295 MPs, a government majority of just 29, the bill for Exiting the EU aims to convert all European law into British law.
Ex Labour prime minister Tony Blair has attacked Labor's timidity on Brexit, saying it would deliver a departure from the EU designed by the Tory right. He urged the party he once led to nail the myths of the Brexit campaign - and fight for the rights of voters to think again about leaving. He said 2018 would be the year the fate of Britain would be decided.
The Brexit deal covering “withdrawal” issues will only hold if it is approved by MPs and peers in a new piece of legislation to put it into British law, David Davis has said. The Brexit Secretary announced a Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill, which MPs will be able to amend, to cover areas such as citizens’ rights, the so-called divorce bill and a transition period.
The British Labour party is seeking to up the pressure on ministers over their refusal to release a series of Brexit impact studies. The government has confirmed that 58 reports looking at different sectors of the economy have been prepared, but is resisting calls to publish them; saying to do so would undermine the UK's negotiating position.
The UK Government’s plans for Brexit are “in paralysis”, Labour claimed amid speculation crucial legislation will be delayed again. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said there was “chaos at the heart of Government” over the approach to leaving the European Union.
UK Labour activists have backed a statement clarifying the party’s position on Brexit. The eleventh-hour statement was waved through by a show of hands in the main conference hall, after another day of division in the party over Britain’s EU withdrawal.