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Brexit: May faces Corbyn at PMQs amid speculation she could announce decision to quit – live news Brexit: May faces Corbyn at PMQs amid speculation she could announce decision to quit – live news
(32 minutes later)
Caroline Lucas, the Green MP, says global climate emissions have hit their highest levels. Will May back calls for a green new deal?
May says Lucas should have noted what the government is already doing. It is committed to clean growth.
Labour’s Chris Bryant asks about skin cancer (for which he was recently treated). He calls for a major public health campaign to get people to check out their bodies for suspicious moles, and to use sunscreen. The government can save lives, he says.
May agree. She says Matt Hancock, the health secretary, will have heard Bryant’s request.
Nigel Dodds, the DUP leader at Wesminster, says the Belfast city deal was signed yesterday. Will May ensure that this will go forward even without the Northern Ireland executive sitting?
May says she can commit to ensure that the city deal goes ahead even without the power-sharing executive being in place.
The DUP’s Jim Shannon asks about dementia funding.
May says increasing numbers of people are living with dementia. The UK is playing a significant part in the international effort to find better treatment, she says.
Labour’s Afzal Khan asks about a Guardian story about the Conservative party reinstating 15 party members suspended for Islamophobia. The party is in denial about the problem, he says.
May says the party does does this action seriously, and investigates all complaints.
Sir Bill Cash, the Tory Brexiter, says lawyers are convinced that May’s deal with the EU extending article 50 is unlawful. Did May get legal advice before agreeing that? And will May publish it? And will she withdraw this evening’s motion changing Brexit date?
May says Brexit date has already changed under international law. She says the Commons voted to seek an extension to article 50. She says, if the statutory instrument being voted on tonight is not passed, that will cause legal confusion.
Labour’s Chi Onwurah says she used to be opposed to a second referendum because it would be so divisive. But the country is paralysed. Will May consider the possibility she is making a terrible mistake?
May says, if Onwurah wants to deliver on the referendum result in an orderly way, she should back May’s deal.
Labour’s Diana Johnson says the north needs an industrial renaissance.
May says she wants an industrial policy that works for every region. There has been significant investment in the north, she says.
Kirstene Hair, a Scottish Conservative, says more than 7,000 members of the armed forces based in Scotland have to pay more in tax because of the Scottish government’s tax rates. Will the UK government compensate them?
May says a majority of armed forces personnel based in Scotland are affected by differential tax rates. She says the UK government will again compensate them in the coming year.
Sir Peter Bottomley, a Conservative, says the PM’s deal has not passed parliament because of those who want to stay in the EU, hardline Brexiters and Labour. But most people in the country want it to pass.Sir Peter Bottomley, a Conservative, says the PM’s deal has not passed parliament because of those who want to stay in the EU, hardline Brexiters and Labour. But most people in the country want it to pass.
May says that is the message she gets from the public too.May says that is the message she gets from the public too.
Labour has now put out a statement effectively confirming that it is backing the Becket confirmatory referendum amendment. (See 9.33am, 10.58am and 11.58am.) A spokesperson said:Labour has now put out a statement effectively confirming that it is backing the Becket confirmatory referendum amendment. (See 9.33am, 10.58am and 11.58am.) A spokesperson said:
In line with our policy, we’re supporting motions to keep options on the table to prevent a bad Tory deal or no deal.In line with our policy, we’re supporting motions to keep options on the table to prevent a bad Tory deal or no deal.
The Beckett amendment actually goes further than the Labour statement it implies. It says any amendment should be subject to a referendum. It says:The Beckett amendment actually goes further than the Labour statement it implies. It says any amendment should be subject to a referendum. It says:
That this house will not allow in this parliament the implementation and ratification of any withdrawal agreement and any framework for the future relationship unless and until they have been approved by the people of the United Kingdom in a confirmatory public vote.That this house will not allow in this parliament the implementation and ratification of any withdrawal agreement and any framework for the future relationship unless and until they have been approved by the people of the United Kingdom in a confirmatory public vote.
The SNP leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, asks May if she has a sense of responsibility for what she is doing on Brexit.The SNP leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, asks May if she has a sense of responsibility for what she is doing on Brexit.
May says she is trying to deliver Brexit.May says she is trying to deliver Brexit.
Blackford says he was at the march for a second referendum on Saturday. Some 6m people have signed the petition calling for article 50 to be revoked. Will May accept the will of parliament, or will she continue to be held hostage by the hard right and the DUP?Blackford says he was at the march for a second referendum on Saturday. Some 6m people have signed the petition calling for article 50 to be revoked. Will May accept the will of parliament, or will she continue to be held hostage by the hard right and the DUP?
May says she is delivering on the referendum result. Blackford wants to stay in the EU. That means staying in the common agricultural policy and the common fisheries policy, which would not be in the interests of Scottish farmers or Scottish fishermen.May says she is delivering on the referendum result. Blackford wants to stay in the EU. That means staying in the common agricultural policy and the common fisheries policy, which would not be in the interests of Scottish farmers or Scottish fishermen.
May says epetitions are subject to checks to ensure they are not manipulated by foreign powers.May says epetitions are subject to checks to ensure they are not manipulated by foreign powers.
Corbyn says May has not been able to guarantee dynamic alignment on workers’ standards. He says Harrington said in his resignation letter May should find a consensus negotiating position. If one emerges, will May accept it as the basis for her negotiating position?
May says the objective they should all have is delivering Brexit. She says she has been clear on non-regression on workers’ rights. She says Corbyn is shaking his head (probably because non-regression is not the same as dynamic alignment). She says she will listen to what parliament has to say about matching new rights offered by the EU.
Corbyn says May did not answer the question about whether she would accept what the Commons decided. She says May is unable to compromise, unable to unite the country, and unable to govern. She should change course, or go.
May says she answered the question on accepting the result of MPs’ decision in the Commons on Monday. For Labour Keir Starmer also refused to commit to what MPs decided, she says. She says Labour would give the UK capital flight, a run on the pound and a drop in living standards. Corbyn is the biggest threat to living standards, she says.
Corbyn says the TUC and the CBI back a customs union as part of a deal. So it is strange for a Conservative PM to reject what business wants. Why won’t she consider a customs union?
May says Corbyn should have listened to her earlier answer. Corbyn stood on a platform saying he wanted the UK to be able to strike its own trade deal. And now he wants a referendum too. Whatever happened to straight-talking, honest politics?
Corbyn says many of May’s colleagues want a race to the bottom. Quoting what Richard Harrington said when he resigned as business minister, he asks why she is pressing ahead with her deal.
May says she does not support a race to the bottom. The government has enhanced workers’ rights, she says. As Labour MPs jeer, she says Labour can never stand it when told the Tories stand up for workers.
Jeremy Corbyn asks May what her plan B is.
May says she has a deal that can deliver Brexit for the British people. Other options do not do that.
Corbyn says May’s deal has been defeated twice, by in one case the largest ever majority for a government defeat. Does May agree backing a customs union is the best way of getting her deal over the line?
May says her deal delivers the benefits of a customs union, while allowing the UK to negotiate independent trade deals. Corbyn used to want that too, she says. She says the UK wants to negotiate trade in its own interests.
The Tory Brexiter Andrew Bridgen says May said on more than 100 occasions the UK would leave the EU on 29 March. Now, because of our EU masters, we are not doing that. He says he constituents will never trust her again.
May says she can deliver on Brexit if MPs like Bridgen back her deal.
The SNP’s Stewart Hosie says Brexit is costing the UK £1bn a week in lost growth. It is not the fault of the EU, or of MPs voting with their consciences. So will May admit it is her fault? And when will she resign?
May says the Brexit deal delivers on the result of the referendum. She accepts that result, unlike Hosie, she says.
Theresa May starts by saying she will chair a summit on serious violence next week.
John Bercow, the Speaker, starts PMQs by saying Woody Johnson, the US ambassador, is in the gallery.
From ITV’s Robert Peston
Labour MPs are being whipped to support the Beckett/Kyle/Wilson indicative vote motion that promotes Brexit referendum
So that means Peter Kyle was right, and Barry Gardiner was wrong. See 9.33am.
PMQs is about to start.
Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.
I normally post a snap verdict after the May/Corbyn exchanges, on the grounds that for most people this is the highlight, but today I will do it at the end because May’s exchanges with her own MPs may be just as interesting.
And John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said this morning that what Barry Gardiner said on the Today programme about the Beckett confirmatory referendum amendment being difficult for the party (see 9.33am) was in line with party policy. Asked if he agreed with Gardiner about Labour not being a remain party, McDonnell said:
We had to accept in our manifesto respect for the referendum result. We campaigned for remain, we lost, we have to accept that.
We have to be honest with people. If there was another referendum now I personally would vote for remain because I think that is best for the country.
What he is saying is exactly in line with party policy. We have got to prevent a new deal, prevent a bad deal, advocate for our own policy, try to get a general election if we can, but failing that, if there is a logjam, yes we will if necessary go back to the people.