This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46416591

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 6 Version 7
Brexit: Labour threatens no confidence vote Brexit: Labour threatens no confidence vote
(about 1 hour later)
Labour has said it will "inevitably" call a motion of no confidence in the government if Theresa May loses a Commons vote on her Brexit deal.Labour has said it will "inevitably" call a motion of no confidence in the government if Theresa May loses a Commons vote on her Brexit deal.
Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer told Sky News his party would seek to force a general election.Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer told Sky News his party would seek to force a general election.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove insisted Mrs May could still win the vote on 11 December despite dozens of her own MPs being against her EU deal.Environment Secretary Michael Gove insisted Mrs May could still win the vote on 11 December despite dozens of her own MPs being against her EU deal.
He told the BBC's Andrew Marr winning the vote would be "challenging".He told the BBC's Andrew Marr winning the vote would be "challenging".
But although Mrs May's deal was not perfect, "we have got to recognise that if we don't vote for this, the alternatives are no deal or no Brexit." But although Mrs May's deal was not perfect, "we have got to recognise that if we don't vote for this, the alternatives are no deal or no Brexit".
Asked if Mrs May would have to stand down as PM is she lost the vote on her deal in nine days' time, he said: "Absolutely not." Asked if Mrs May would have to stand down as PM if she lost the vote on her deal in nine days' time, he said: "Absolutely not."
He claimed there was a "strong movement behind the prime minister" among the public.He claimed there was a "strong movement behind the prime minister" among the public.
Sir Keir Starmer said: "If the prime minister has lost a vote of that significance then there has to be a question of confidence in the government." Sir Keir said: "If the prime minister has lost a vote of that significance then there has to be a question of confidence in the government."
"I think it's inevitable that we would seek to move that," he added."I think it's inevitable that we would seek to move that," he added.
Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, if the government loses a vote on a motion of no confidence it has 14 days to pass a second confidence motion, or Parliament is dissolved and a general election is called. Under the Fixed Term Parliament Act, if the government loses a vote on a motion of no confidence it has 14 days to pass a second confidence motion, or Parliament is dissolved and a general election is called.
Could there be a further referendum?Could there be a further referendum?
Conservative support for a further referendum is growing - Science minister Sam Gyimah quit the government on Saturday to join the People's Vote campaign. Conservative support for a further referendum is growing - science minister Sam Gyimah quit the government on Saturday to join the People's Vote campaign.
A cross-party group of 17 MPs, in a letter published in the Observer, called for Parliament to support another referendum at the earliest opportunity. A cross-party group of 17 MPs, in a letter published in the Observer, has also called for Parliament to support another referendum at the earliest opportunity.
But a referendum can only be held if the government legislates for one and a majority of MPs vote for it.But a referendum can only be held if the government legislates for one and a majority of MPs vote for it.
Labour have said they will seek support for another referendum in the Commons if they fail to secure a general election, something shadow chancellor John McDonnell has admitted could be "very difficult".
Mr Gove, who was a leading Leave campaigner in the 2016 referendum, said: "There is a real risk if we don't vote for this deal there may be a majority in the House of Commons for a second referendum."Mr Gove, who was a leading Leave campaigner in the 2016 referendum, said: "There is a real risk if we don't vote for this deal there may be a majority in the House of Commons for a second referendum."
He said Leave would probably win a fresh referendum by an even larger margin but holding one would "damage faith in democracy and rip apart the social fabric" of the country.He said Leave would probably win a fresh referendum by an even larger margin but holding one would "damage faith in democracy and rip apart the social fabric" of the country.
Many Leave voters would see it is a "condescending" move by the political establishment, who would effectively be saying people were "too thick to make a decision" the first time around.Many Leave voters would see it is a "condescending" move by the political establishment, who would effectively be saying people were "too thick to make a decision" the first time around.
Legal advice row The People's Vote campaign, which is backed by about 30 Labour MPs, a smaller number of Conservatives, the Lib Dems, the SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Greens, argue that the public must be given the final say on the terms of Britain's exit, now that they know what the deal is.
All opposition parties in the Commons plan to join forces in a bid to force the government to publish the full legal advice it received ahead of the Brexit agreement. Analysis
Last month MPs approved a motion demanding full publication of the government's legal advice.
But on Monday Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, who wrote the advice, will offer only a limited summary of the legal advice given to government, during a statement to Parliament.
Sir Keir Starmer said they would press for contempt of Parliament proceedings if MPs are not shown the advice.
He wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: "If the full legal advice is not forthcoming, we will have no alternative but to start proceedings for contempt of Parliament - and we will work with all parties to take this forward."
Some MPs believe the full advice given suggests the Northern Ireland "backstop" would continue indefinitely.
Ministers insist it is a long-standing convention that legal advice to the cabinet is kept confidential, and that government would otherwise be unable to function.
The prime minister's refusal to release the full advice prompted Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party - which has propped up Mrs May's government since the general election in 2017 - to accuse her of having "something to hide".
If contempt proceedings were requested, it would be up to Commons Speaker John Bercow to decide whether a debate and vote should be held.
What do the PM and others say?
Mrs May insists the agreement's legal text is clear that any backstop - keeping the UK under EU customs rules until a permanent trade deal was in place - would be temporary.
However, her former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab told the Sunday Times the backstop would last indefinitely - for as long as it takes to negotiate a new UK-EU relationship - "unless the EU allows us to exit".
"The EU has a clear veto, even if the future negotiations stretch on for many years, or even if they break down and there is no realistic likelihood of us reaching agreement," he is quoted as saying.
"That's my view as a former international lawyer, but it is consistent if not identical with all the formal advice I received."
The row comes ahead of a crucial week for Mrs May, who faces opposition to her Brexit agreement from all sides of the Commons, with MPs due to vote on 11 December.
She spent much of last week trying to sell the deal to business people and the wider public, visiting Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
At the G20 summit in Argentina she sought to reassure world leaders that the deal would be "good for the global economy".
Speaking in Buenos Aires on Saturday, Mrs May said: "The next nine days are a really important time for our country leading up to the vote on this deal.
"I will be talking with members of Parliament obviously and explaining to them why I believe this is a good deal for the UK."
Support for May's deal seems to be shrinking
By Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political editorBy Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political editor
There's been something completely surreal about watching Theresa May this week - hobnobbing with world leaders, discussing future trade arrangements and climate change, confronting the Saudi Crown Prince over the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Support for the prime minister's Brexit compromise seems to be shrinking, rather than growing.
But her efforts on all of those important discussions may prove entirely irrelevant if, in the next nine days, she can't persuade enough of her colleagues at home to come on board.
Because support for the prime minister's Brexit compromise seems to be shrinking, rather than growing.
If Theresa May acknowledges it in private, she certainly won't touch that notion in public.If Theresa May acknowledges it in private, she certainly won't touch that notion in public.
Read more from Laura hereRead more from Laura here
What about a no-deal Brexit?
The government claims the chances of Britain leaving the EU on 29 March without a deal are more likely if MPs reject Mrs May's deal.
Mr Gove said there would not be another Commons vote on the deal if MPs voted it down on 11 December - something Mrs May has previously refused to rule out.
There has been speculation the prime minister could return to Brussels to ask for the deal to be modified to reflect MPs' concerns before putting it to another Commons vote.
The EU has said the deal it has agreed with Mrs May is their final offer and it will not be renegotiated.
Why are Brexiteers unhappy with the deal?
They argue the UK will be kept tied to the EU with no say in its rules until Brussels decides it can leave, under the terms of the Northern Irish "backstop".
Mrs May insists the backstop, which is designed to keep the Irish border open until the UK can agree a free trade deal with the EU, would be temporary.
However, her former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab told the Sunday Times the backstop would last indefinitely - for as long as it takes to negotiate a new UK-EU relationship - "unless the EU allows us to exit".
Michael Gove told Andrew Marr he was also uncomfortable about the "backstop" but it would be temporary.
This was because it would hand the UK economy a "competitive advantage" over the remaining 27 EU nations, he argued.
"We will have tariff-free access to their markets without paying a penny. And, more than that, we will have control of our borders," he told Marr.
"This fundamentally works against the interests of the single market and against the interests of European nations."
Legal advice row
Opponents of Theresa May's Brexit deal believe the UK's chief law officer, Geoffrey Cox, has advised the government that the Northern Ireland "backstop" would continue indefinitely.
They think this is why the government is refusing to publish Mr Cox's legal advice on the EU withdrawal agreement in full - as it would make it even harder for her to convince MPs to back her deal.
The government insists such legal advice is always confidential - and that MPs will be able to question Mr Cox about it on Monday, when he makes a statement to the Commons at the start of five days of debate about the deal.
But Labour is spearheading a cross-party effort - including the government's partners the DUP - to force the legal advice to be published.
Sir Keir, a former director of public prosecutions, said the opposition parties would press for contempt of Parliament proceedings if MPs are not shown the advice.
If contempt proceedings were requested, it would be up to Commons Speaker John Bercow to decide whether a debate and vote should be held.