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Brexit vote: Theresa May faces no-confidence vote after crushing defeat - live updates Brexit: May's plan for cross-party talks under fire as MPs condemn her for sidelining Corbyn - Politics live
(43 minutes later)
Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Matthew Weaver.
The Andrea Leadsom Today programme interview, in which she played down the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn being included in the cross-party talks on an alternative Brexit plan that Theresa May is planning, does not seem to have gone down well.
Here is some political reaction.
From Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader:
Refusing to talk to the Leader of the Opposition and sticking to failed red lines would be a woeful failure to rise to the moment. Strongly urge the Prime Minister to try and do so.
From Yvette Cooper, the Labour chair of the Commons home affairs committee (and exactly the sort of senior parliamentarian that May seemed to have in mind when she announced her plan for cross-party talks):
Andrea Leadsom making a mockery of Theresa May’s proposal for cross party talks this morning. Ludicrous & unworkable if PM won’t even talk to @jeremycorbyn & other party leaders. PM has to accept she failed by 230 votes - she can’t just keep digging in
And this is from Lucy Powell, another senior Labour MP:
Totally agree https://t.co/saAsEM2621
From the Labour party:
Disappointed @BBCr4today failed to correct @andrealeadsom's obviously inaccurate claim that Labour doesn't have an alternative plan. We have been promoting it for months: a new CU, a close relationship with SM, no race to the bottom on rights.
And here is some comment from journalists.
From the BBC’s Norman Smith:
Sounds like Govt's definition of "senior parliamentarians" does not include Jeremy Corbyn
Hmm...Govt decision not to delay article 50 wd seem to blow a hole in prospects for any cross party consensus.
The leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, has defended the government’s failure to discuss a compromise plan with Labour’s frontbench.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 Today programme, she said:
The government has been collaborating across the house ever since the beginning of this parliament. It simply isn’t the case that the government isn’t engaging with senior parliamentarians.
Asked why the prime minister had not spoken to Jeremy Corbyn about a compromise, Leadsom said: “She will be speaking with senior parliamentarians.”
She also played down the prospect of Theresa May including Jeremy Corbyn when she reaches out to opposition MPs to discuss a possible way forward. She added:
Jeremy Corbyn had the opportunity yesterday to put to the house exactly what his alternative proposals were. He clearly has none. He needs to come to the table and tell us what he wants to do. The country wants to know what the Labour party is actually proposing.
Leadsom plays down prospect of May including Corbyn in her planned cross-party talks on an alternative approach to Brexit.
Leadsom insisted that the withdrawal deal that was defeated last night remained the best “basis” for a way to avoid a no deal.
And she claimed the government would not be seeking to delay or revoke article 50.
Leadsom said:
I have struggled with the prime minister’s deal but ultimately it is a deal that balances the various interests, the country has been divided on it but leaving the EU we have to deliver on that. And the prime minister has shown her determination to do that.
She added that the legal default position is that we leave in March without a deal so it is “vitally important” that we put a deal in place
Leadsom also insisted that whatever compromise was reached would not “not necessarily” involve a softer Brexit.
Leadsom rejects claims government defeat inevitably makes softer Brexit more likely.
Barnier added:Barnier added:
It is up to the British authorities to indicate how we can take things forward towards an orderly withdrawal.It is up to the British authorities to indicate how we can take things forward towards an orderly withdrawal.
The agreement that we reached with the British government is a good agreement. It is the best possible compromise. Protecting the rights of citizens will continue to be the priority whatever the outcome.The agreement that we reached with the British government is a good agreement. It is the best possible compromise. Protecting the rights of citizens will continue to be the priority whatever the outcome.
The backstop must remain a credible backstop.The backstop must remain a credible backstop.
An orderly withdrawal must remain our absolute priority. The scenario we have always wanted to avoid is a no deal. We are stepping up our preparations for that contingency.An orderly withdrawal must remain our absolute priority. The scenario we have always wanted to avoid is a no deal. We are stepping up our preparations for that contingency.
The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier has insisted that the Irish backstop must remain credible in any Brexit deal.The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier has insisted that the Irish backstop must remain credible in any Brexit deal.
Speaking in the European parliament in Strasbourg, he said “we regret profoundly” the Commons vote on Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement after two years of negotiation “based on the red lines of the British government”.Speaking in the European parliament in Strasbourg, he said “we regret profoundly” the Commons vote on Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement after two years of negotiation “based on the red lines of the British government”.
Nathalie Loiseau, the Europe minister, told France Inter this morning: “It’s bad news, because this withdrawal agreement negotiated for nearly two years is a good agreement and the only agreement possible. It’s for the British to decide what they want. We see there is no majority for this agreement, but we don’t know what there IS a majority for… they want to leave the European Union to do what?”Nathalie Loiseau, the Europe minister, told France Inter this morning: “It’s bad news, because this withdrawal agreement negotiated for nearly two years is a good agreement and the only agreement possible. It’s for the British to decide what they want. We see there is no majority for this agreement, but we don’t know what there IS a majority for… they want to leave the European Union to do what?”
Asked why leaving the EU was proving so difficult, Loiseau said: “A certain number of British, including British politicians, didn’t realise what being a member of the EU meant.” She added that there had been “massive disinformation” during the referendum campaign.Asked why leaving the EU was proving so difficult, Loiseau said: “A certain number of British, including British politicians, didn’t realise what being a member of the EU meant.” She added that there had been “massive disinformation” during the referendum campaign.
Can the agreement be renegotiated? “The text cannot be reopened especially after we’ve gone 17 months with all the coming and going. It’s been one third of my work since I became minister, which is a bit excessive, and we have other things to do in Europe than busy ourselves with a divorce …”Can the agreement be renegotiated? “The text cannot be reopened especially after we’ve gone 17 months with all the coming and going. It’s been one third of my work since I became minister, which is a bit excessive, and we have other things to do in Europe than busy ourselves with a divorce …”
She added: “Nobody thinks a no deal is a good situation, but we are preparing for that”, but warned: “We aren’t going to unknit the European Union because the UK wants to leave.”She added: “Nobody thinks a no deal is a good situation, but we are preparing for that”, but warned: “We aren’t going to unknit the European Union because the UK wants to leave.”
Sophie in ‘t Veld, a deputy leader of the liberal group in the European parliament, is sticking to the Brussels line that this crisis is for the UK to sort out.Sophie in ‘t Veld, a deputy leader of the liberal group in the European parliament, is sticking to the Brussels line that this crisis is for the UK to sort out.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said: “We got a lot of questions last night saying ‘what is the EU going to do now?’. Well, all the options have been on the table, it is for the UK now to decide what to do. I would strongly recommend all the parties to come together and unite in the interest of the UK.”Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said: “We got a lot of questions last night saying ‘what is the EU going to do now?’. Well, all the options have been on the table, it is for the UK now to decide what to do. I would strongly recommend all the parties to come together and unite in the interest of the UK.”
Asked if she would prefer if the UK remained in the EU, she said:Asked if she would prefer if the UK remained in the EU, she said:
We never wanted the UK to leave, so if they come to that conclusion then we will be very happy, but it is not for us to say, it is for the British people to say.We never wanted the UK to leave, so if they come to that conclusion then we will be very happy, but it is not for us to say, it is for the British people to say.
But it will have to be a realistic, a workable solution, one that is taking into account the current arrangements within the EU, the Good Friday agreement, and the rights of citizens – the 3.5 million Europeans living in the UK and the 1.5 million British people living in the EU 27.But it will have to be a realistic, a workable solution, one that is taking into account the current arrangements within the EU, the Good Friday agreement, and the rights of citizens – the 3.5 million Europeans living in the UK and the 1.5 million British people living in the EU 27.
Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, says the ball is in Britain’s court to bring clarity to the chaos.Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, says the ball is in Britain’s court to bring clarity to the chaos.
“The MPs of the lower house have not made it known what they want, only what they don’t want,” he told the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk this morning.“The MPs of the lower house have not made it known what they want, only what they don’t want,” he told the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk this morning.
“That is not enough,” he said. He added he did not support the idea of renegotiating the deal, saying that many compromises had already been made by both sides. “If one had been able to offer more, we would have had to do that weeks ago.”“That is not enough,” he said. He added he did not support the idea of renegotiating the deal, saying that many compromises had already been made by both sides. “If one had been able to offer more, we would have had to do that weeks ago.”
He said the German government would follow closely the vote of confidence in Theresa May, but her fall would make the situation only more complicated.He said the German government would follow closely the vote of confidence in Theresa May, but her fall would make the situation only more complicated.
“For the negotiations we need a stable government,” he said. Extending article 50 would be complicated in the light of upcoming European elections, he said, and anyway, an extension would require a clear idea as to what London wanted.“For the negotiations we need a stable government,” he said. Extending article 50 would be complicated in the light of upcoming European elections, he said, and anyway, an extension would require a clear idea as to what London wanted.
“It will only make sense if there’s a way which has as its goal to reach a deal between the EU and Britain and at the moment there’s not a majority viewpoint in the British parliament”.“It will only make sense if there’s a way which has as its goal to reach a deal between the EU and Britain and at the moment there’s not a majority viewpoint in the British parliament”.
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has again ducked the question of whether the Labour frontbench will back a second referendum. He insisted it was for Labour’s membership to decide.The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has again ducked the question of whether the Labour frontbench will back a second referendum. He insisted it was for Labour’s membership to decide.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said: “If we secured a general election, our party then would have to decision about what goes into the manifesto. There is strong support that if there is an impasse we go back to the people. Our preference is a general election, if we get, there is also that view that there should be another referendum.Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said: “If we secured a general election, our party then would have to decision about what goes into the manifesto. There is strong support that if there is an impasse we go back to the people. Our preference is a general election, if we get, there is also that view that there should be another referendum.
“”My view is that it will be decided by the democratic wishes of our party members. The options will be: we put forward our own proposals on a deal, or you put forward those plus the possibility of a referendum.“”My view is that it will be decided by the democratic wishes of our party members. The options will be: we put forward our own proposals on a deal, or you put forward those plus the possibility of a referendum.
“What went through our Labour party conference last year was: seek to get a deal that protects jobs and the economy, if you can’t do that, then it’s a referendum to ask people to think again. I think if we do move to a general election that that the sort of debate that we will have.”“What went through our Labour party conference last year was: seek to get a deal that protects jobs and the economy, if you can’t do that, then it’s a referendum to ask people to think again. I think if we do move to a general election that that the sort of debate that we will have.”
McDonnell insisted a compromise deal could be reached with the government.McDonnell insisted a compromise deal could be reached with the government.
My own view is that Theresa May could sort this now. If she had a real discussion, a real approach to compromise bring all the parties together I think there could be a compromise most probably on the basis of what Labour is advocating. But the problem that she’s got is that I don’t think people have any faith in her anymore to deliver that.My own view is that Theresa May could sort this now. If she had a real discussion, a real approach to compromise bring all the parties together I think there could be a compromise most probably on the basis of what Labour is advocating. But the problem that she’s got is that I don’t think people have any faith in her anymore to deliver that.
Clearly extending article 50 is now on the agenda but that is for the government to decide.Clearly extending article 50 is now on the agenda but that is for the government to decide.
He appeared to concede that it was unlikely that the government would lose today’s confidence vote. “People don’t expect us to win that, but who can tell?”He appeared to concede that it was unlikely that the government would lose today’s confidence vote. “People don’t expect us to win that, but who can tell?”
He added:He added:
If that goes down, parliament really has to take a strong role ... proper negotiations and discussions to see if there is a compromise that can be reached. Theresa May has said she is willing to enter into those discussions, but she hasn’t said she is willing to enter into them with Jeremy Corbyn. She has not contacted us.If that goes down, parliament really has to take a strong role ... proper negotiations and discussions to see if there is a compromise that can be reached. Theresa May has said she is willing to enter into those discussions, but she hasn’t said she is willing to enter into them with Jeremy Corbyn. She has not contacted us.
We haven’t been invited into those discussions yet. Then she’s set conditions, she’s ruling out by the looks of it a customs union which most of the opposition parties support.We haven’t been invited into those discussions yet. Then she’s set conditions, she’s ruling out by the looks of it a customs union which most of the opposition parties support.
We believe we should have a permanent customs union. The relationship with the single market should be a close and collaborative relationship.We believe we should have a permanent customs union. The relationship with the single market should be a close and collaborative relationship.
That’s it from me, I’m handing over to my colleague Matthew Weaver now. Thanks for reading and tweeting, keeping following for updates.That’s it from me, I’m handing over to my colleague Matthew Weaver now. Thanks for reading and tweeting, keeping following for updates.
A few more front pages coming in from readers and I think Frankfurter Rundschau may be my favourite so far...A few more front pages coming in from readers and I think Frankfurter Rundschau may be my favourite so far...
Splash on today's Frankfurter Rundschau. Quoting Hamlet: "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." pic.twitter.com/WWrjIUo70mSplash on today's Frankfurter Rundschau. Quoting Hamlet: "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." pic.twitter.com/WWrjIUo70m
@MsKateLyons Front page of Portugal's Publico: God Save UK - Failure of May's deal muddles Brexit calendar and sends country into political limbo. pic.twitter.com/xaEiIWwYNs@MsKateLyons Front page of Portugal's Publico: God Save UK - Failure of May's deal muddles Brexit calendar and sends country into political limbo. pic.twitter.com/xaEiIWwYNs
@MsKateLyons Portugal's Diario de Noticias - "Uncertainty is the only certainty" pic.twitter.com/98aWt0aPKh@MsKateLyons Portugal's Diario de Noticias - "Uncertainty is the only certainty" pic.twitter.com/98aWt0aPKh
The Italian newspaper il manifesto has the perplexing headline "Common mortals" on its story about Brexit. pic.twitter.com/uccRc9H0H3The Italian newspaper il manifesto has the perplexing headline "Common mortals" on its story about Brexit. pic.twitter.com/uccRc9H0H3
The Labour MP Chuka Umunna has been on Good Morning Britain, arguing that Britain needs to get more time to “prevent ourselves falling off a cliff”.
He says if the no-confidence motion fails today, Labour should immediately back calls for a second referendum, though as Piers Morgan points out, this is going to be difficult given “Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t want to do that”.
With just 37 sitting days until exit day, there is absolutely no time to waste. If the no confidence motion today fails, we must move to the next stage of the @UKLabour conference motion and immediately back a #PeoplesVote as the way to stop no deal and resolve this. https://t.co/8UxyFzQXaX
Thanks for those tweeting in with Brexit headlines from newspapers around the world. We’ve got headlines in from media outlets in Israel, Bulgaria and China, so far. Keep them coming!
@MsKateLyons From Ha'aretz today:"Biggest defeat ever in British parliament ever | British parliament rejected May's deal, vote of no confidence tomorrow pic.twitter.com/XZh47o8zXE
@MsKateLyons https://t.co/e82FEPgcv8Bulgaria, "24 Hours": "British newspapers: The Parliament humiliates Theresa May by a vote, which forecasts the failure of Brexit"
@MsKateLyons CCTV (China Central TV) news website has this report, with the unimaginative headline 英国“脱欧”协议草案遭议会否决 (Britain's Brexit rejected by government). I was hoping for something more exciting but CCTV never fails to let me down. pic.twitter.com/dFGLqXuBsx
Quite a few questions and witticisms coming in about the fact that also on the parliamentary agenda today is a 10-minute motion on the prohibition of low-level letter boxes.
There is some irony in this issue being debated today, as this is about trying to get European standards to be added to UK Building Regulations. European standards require letterboxes to be between 70cm and 1.7m from the ground, thus reducing the risk of back injuries and risk of dog bite for postmen and women.
The Communications Union have this summary of the issue, which they say they have been trying to get change on for years.
The Communications Workers Union has been campaigning to outlaw low level letterboxes for many years. The CWU has been striving for the European Standard (EN13724) to be added to UK Building Regulations – this requires that letterboxes should be positioned at a suitably accessible height, accessible to postal delivery workers, significantly reducing possible injuries such as, dog bites, fingers being trapped or back strain caused when bending excessively to reach ground level boxes...
The problem with low level letter boxes is that back injuries to postmen and women occur each year in Royal Mail and delivering to low level letter boxes at the base of a house front door forces postal staff to stoop to ground level repetitively to deliver mail items which can cause or exacerbate back strain and back conditions. Low level letter boxes also present an increased risk of dog bites when the mail is pushed through the aperture at ground level and fingers get trapped.
In 2002 the European Standard EN 13724 was introduced and states that for “ergonomic and safety reasons” the centre line of the letter box aperture should be at a height between 700 mm (2ft 3.5 inches) and 1700mm (5ft 7inches).
For some reason, the debate about car production in Solihull, currently slated for after the no-confidence vote, hasn’t generated quite the same interest as the letter boxes, though there are some who are keen.
Yo UK I am here for the Solihull car production drama pic.twitter.com/Jsc8nAqosh
I am very interested to see how the news of the Brexit deal defeat was covered in newspapers around the world, so tweet me (@mskatelyons) with photos or screenshots of the front pages from wherever you’re reading from (and with English translations if you can!).
Here are a few from around Europe. I’d like to particularly draw your attention to the headline on the dispatch from London by the reporter for Le Monde, whose story is headlined: “At St Stephen’s Tavern, shouts of victory, lukewarm beer and uncertainty for pro-Europeans”. Some stereotypes never die.
I am loving the headline on the colour dispatch from London for Le Monde. Headline: "At St Stephen's Tavern, shouts of victory, lukewarm beer and uncertainty for pro-Europeans". pic.twitter.com/W2kZmNVqUk
DE TELEGRAAF: Parliamentarians are working on postponing Brexit #Dutchpaperstoday pic.twitter.com/gu5HSbL63k
"Shot down" - Spiegel Online's online splash. The German paper says: "It could hardly have been worse for her: The British parliament is preparing a historical defeat for Theresa May and her Brexit deal. Does she have to go now?" pic.twitter.com/evt82iN8Va
Writing in the Spanish daily El País, Lluís Bassets warned that Tuesday’s vote had been far from decisive, despite the scale of May’s defeat.
“To the misfortune of the British, and perhaps also the Europeans, this Tuesday was a historic day that does not preclude more historic days, all accompanied by the tragic storm clouds that tend to shadow history,” he wrote.
Bassets said “the great shredding machine that is Brexit” was still hard at work, “fed by uncertainty, bitterness and rancour – the three dismal feelings that May evoked in her defeat speech, and the three evil spirits that only grow with each day that Brexit remains unresolved”.
El Mundo’s main headline on Wednesday morning was equally gloomy: “A humiliating defeat for May leaves Brexit in limbo”. The prime minister’s plan, it added, had “crashed spectacularly” in parliament.
In an editorial, the rightwing ABC said that as neither May nor parliament had shown themselves capable of dealing with the crisis, the matter should be put to the people once more.
“It seems clear that the moment has arrived to put the decision in the hands of the people, and the most sensible thing to do would be hold another referendum just as voters get to grips with the true arguments rather than just the nationalist-populist propaganda of the pro-Brexit lobby.”
The online paper eldiario.es noticed that Michael Gove had invoked the famous Game of Thrones line, “Winter is coming”.
“He was one of the heavyweights in the party that had the most influence in the Brexit referendum,” wrote Iñigo Sáenz de Ugarte.
“Gove and others like him brought winter to British politics and are now horrified at how cold things have got. Too cold for their fellow countrymen.”
Dominic Grieve, former attorney-general and advocate of a second referendum, will present two bills to parliament tomorrow regarding another referendum on the subject of “the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the European Union”. This will happen after urgent questions and before business of the House and before business of the House and the vote on the no-confidence motion.
Dominic Grieve will present two bills to the House tomorrow about a second referendum on leaving the EU. pic.twitter.com/JIyxKic0B4
Today’s papers are grim reading for the prime minister, variously describing her defeat as “historic”, “crushing” and “humiliating”.
The Sun has gone all-out, delivering a classic. “Brextinct”, is its headline and they have pasted May’s face on to a dodo.
Tomorrow's front page: Theresa May's EU deal is dead after she suffered the largest Commons defeat in history https://t.co/v42ielZThE pic.twitter.com/T7o7VoQKgS
The Guardian features a rare picture of the no lobby, which is packed with MPs walking through it to vote against May’s Brexit deal. The headline is “May suffers historic defeat as Tories turn against her”
The Guardian front page, Wednesday 16 January 2019: May suffers historic defeat as Tories turn against her pic.twitter.com/CFcSyQeL4k
The Daily Mirror focuses on the no-confidence motion launched by Jeremy Corbyn, with the splash headline: “No deal, no hope, no clue, no confidence.”
Wednesday’s Daily MIRROR: “No deal.. No hope.. No clue.. No confidence “ #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/Lf5tUGh3jU
“A complete humiliation,” says the Telegraph. “May suffers historic defeat,” says the Times. “Dismay,” says the Express. “May’s Brexit deal crushed by Commons,” says the FT. “Historic humiliation,” says the i and “Crushed,” says the Scotsman.
The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph 'A complete humiliation' #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/KiMQDCy2Xa
Wednesday’s TIMES: “May suffers historic defeat” #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/NgGX7cTIGs
After a day of Brexit chaos, here's tomorrow's Daily Express front page. pic.twitter.com/NknHcyHzYQ
Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Wednesday 16 January https://t.co/UOUnhWap6i pic.twitter.com/xYLndUCO3H
Wednesday’s i - “Historic humiliation” #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/uyNDB7UGbi
Wednesday’s SCOTSMAN: “Crushed” #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/GfNIPrMOI7
Even the paper most often in May’s corner, the Daily Mail, can only manage “Fighting for her life,” which does not bode well for the PM.
Wednesday’s Daily MAIL: “Fighting For Her Life” #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/1UNiCOj8dC
In case you’re wondering what the former prime minister of Australia Tony Abbott thinks of the day’s Brexit events, he has tweeted to let you know, asking “What’s wrong with no deal?”
The self-described Anglophile, who studied at Oxford and began his own downfall in Australian public opinion by reinstating the knighthood system in Australia, also posted a link to his Spectator piece on the subject. The article was published just after Christmas and was the magazine’s fourth most-read story of the year, and in it he argues that a no-deal Brexit is the way to go, saying that “if Europe knows what’s in its own best interests”, it would maintain entirely free trade and full mutual recognition of standards right across Europe and offer protection to British citizens living in Europe, if the UK makes similar overtures to the EU.
What’s wrong with no deal? Australia does $100 billion a year in trade with the EU without a deal https://t.co/gcWAgdCSn3
The current prime minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, said the vote against May’s Brexit deal highlighted global uncertainty.
“It does highlight the impacts of global uncertainty in the economy,” he told Sky News Australia. “We are already seeing some real tensions when it comes to trade. In 2019, the global economy is facing more uncertainty than it was this time last year.”
There you go, the view from Down Under.
How did the markets react?
The comprehensive defeat of Theresa May’s Brexit vision subdued markets in Asia, with sterling expected to remain volatile until the result of Wednesday’s no-confidence vote in the prime minister is known.
Sterling sunk to trading at $1.2855 on the dollar early on Wednesday, having steadied after a tumultuous overnight session. May’s crushing loss on Tuesday night and looming no-confidence vote triggered political upheaval that meant investors paused to assess their next options, putting pressure on UK-focused exchange-traded funds. A Tokyo-traded FTSE 100 ETF was down about one percent on Wednesday.
“While the margin of May’s loss was a surprise, the defeat itself was something the market had been pricing in for a long time and it appears that participants covered shorts in the pound after the vote,” said Yukio Ishizuki, senior currency strategist at Daiwa Securities.
Asia markets subdued and sterling volatile as scale of May's Brexit defeat sinks in
Good morning and welcome to the politics live blog.
Well, the news just keeps on coming. After a crushing, humiliating, historic (pick your adjective, all of them were used on the papers’ front pages today) defeat for May in the “meaningful” vote on her Brexit deal yesterday, she is gearing up for the next challenge: a vote of no confidence, which will be held this afternoon.
The vote will take place sometime this afternoon, after a ten minute rule motion on the subject of low-level letter boxes and before an adjournment debate on car production in Solihull. By that time, Andrew Sparrow will be back with you, carefully guiding you through the day’s political news.
But for the next few hours, I’ll be bringing you news and updates as they come in. Feel free to get in touch via email (kate.lyons@theguardian.com) or on Twitter.
Thanks for following along. Let’s get this show on the road.
The agenda for tomorrow's parliamentary business is pretty striking. pic.twitter.com/W7p0xuYjO6