Brexit news: Theresa May meets union leaders to break deadlock as EU urges her to drop red lines
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK
Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight
Theresa May has held talks with trade union bosses at Downing Street as part of desperate efforts to win support for her Brexit plan.
In a highly unusual move, Unite boss Len McCluskey, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, visited No 10 for high-level discussions, as well as TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady, Dave Prentis, of Unison, and GMB chief Tim Roache.
The prime minister is scrambling to win political backing for a Brexit plan that could secure a Commons majority after her deal was overwhelmingly rejected by MPs.
And on Thursday, cabinet minister Amber Rudd repeatedly refused to say whether she would resign from her government role to stop a no-deal Brexit, just hours after Airbus issued a stark warning over the impact of a disorderly Brexit on its business in the UK.
During an interview on BBC Two’s Newsnight, Ms Rudd, the work and pensions secretary said she was going to “wait and see” if the prime minister allows a free vote on a series of amendments in the Commons next week.
Asked three times whether she would quit the Cabinet to back a bid by Labour's Yvette Cooper to extend Article 50 unless a deal is reached by the end of February, and she refused to rule it out.
She said: "At this stage I'm going to stick to trying to persuade the Government to allow it to be a free vote. There is a lot taking place and there are a lot of new amendments. We'll have to wait and see."
Ms Rudd also told the programme she is "committed to making sure we avoid no-deal", which she described as "the worst possible outcome”.
This liveblog has now closed, but you can scroll down to view the day's events
Labour divisions on Brexit have torn open after a group of MPs accused Jeremy Corbyn of killing off hope of securing a new referendum next week.
It included four Labour members who said Mr Corbyn’s refusal to back an amendment to give the British public a Final Say meant it had no chance of getting through the commons on Tuesday.
Great picture of Len McCluskey of Unite, outside Downing Street.
Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has announced the business of the week for next week. She confirms the debate on the proxy voting motion on Monday evening, as well as second reading of the immigration bill.
Big day on Tuesday - where MPs will debate different Brexit scenarios.
Leadsom said the House will rise on Thursday 14 February and return on Monday 24 February - this “is and does remain the position” - amid speculation it could be cancelled to give MPs more time to pass Brexit legislation.
But this would have to be confirmed by a Commons vote, she said. Nervous MPs may be less than reassured about their holiday plans.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, has also been into No 10. He said the PM she should delay the Brexit leaving date until at least July to allow further talks.
"It is in everyone's interest to extend Article 50 until at least the summer," he said outside Downing Street.
"We want Theresa May to move away from appeasing the right wing of the Tory party."
Mr Prentis said the UK should remain within a customs union because it would be a "nonsense" to leave.
The PM was "very pleasant" during the talks, according to Mr Prentis, who said he hoped Ms May was listening.
He warned against the "brinkmanship" of a no-deal Brexit, adding that March 29 was a "real barrier".
Ex-cabinet minister David Davis will rake in more than £3,000 per hour as an adviser to the manufacturing giant JCB.
The former Brexit secretary declared he will earn £60,000 for 20 hours work each year for the firm, whose billionaire chairman Lord Bamford is a major donor to the Conservative party and the Leave campaign.
Story here:
Theresa May has echoed Donald Trump by throwing the UK’s weight behind Venezuela’s opposition leader – rather than its controversial president.
Juan Guaidó, the head of the national assembly, declared himself president during mass protests against rule by Nicolás Maduro, which has plunged the country into economic freefall.
The US president has recognised Mr Guaidó as interim leader and urged the military to intervene against the elected president, the protégé of firebrand socialist Hugo Chávez.
Asked about the crisis, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “The 2018 presidential election in Venezuela was neither free nor fair, so the regime’s basis for power is deeply flawed.
“We fully support the democratically-elected national assembly with Juan Guaidó as its president.”
However, Downing Street stopped short of the US move of recognising Mr Guaidó as president, saying: “The UK position is to recognise states rather than governments.”
The spokesman also criticised Caracas for expelling US diplomats, saying: “In relation to the United States, we think it’s totally unacceptable for Venezuela to cut off diplomatic ties.
“The solution to this crisis lies in working to find a peaceful and diplomatic solution not in expulsions.”
And, backing Mr Guaidó, he added: “The Venezuela government needs to respect the authority of the national assembly.”
Labour will not make a final decision on whether to back a backbench amendment designed to delay Brexit until shortly before it comes to a vote next week, Jeremy Corbyn has suggested.
Speaking during a visit to Wolverton, near Milton Keynes, he said that Labour was not calling for the Article 50 period to be extended but that MPs might take matters into their own hands.
He said he had met with Yvette Cooper, who has tabled an amendment designed to give the UK more time to negotiate with Brussels, on Wednesday.
Asked whether Labour - which has tabled its own amendment - would give official backing to the amendment tabled by Ms Cooper and Tory Nick Boles, he added: "We will decide at the time whether we fully support it or not.
"I had a very good meeting, a very useful meeting, with Yvette Cooper yesterday. I understand what she is saying, there is a lot of merit in it. We, as a party, will make a decision."
Mr Corbyn reiterated his call for Mrs May to remove the threat of a no-deal Brexit, adding: "We are not calling for an extension of Article 50 but quite clearly if Theresa May runs the clock all the way down MPs are going to recognise the dangers of leaving with no deal."
Mr Corbyn said that his priority was the Labour amendment he had tabled. Asked if he would whip his MPs to support the Cooper amendment, he said: "We haven't decided what exactly we are going to whip on yet.
"We clearly will be whipping in support of the amendment that I have tabled, which is one that has broad support, not just among Labour MPs but amongst the wider MPs in Parliament on this. That is our priority."
Asked how long an extension to the Article 50 process should be, he said: "It has to be, obviously, limited.
"But we are not calling for that, what we are calling for is the Government to take no deal off the table, negotiate seriously with other parties and with the European Union in order to move in the direction of an agreement which gives us the customs union, the market access and protection of rights."
Scottish Parliament presiding officer Ken Macintosh addressed Alex Salmond's arrest prior to First Minister's Questions.
He told Holyrood: "Members will be aware of reports in the media this morning that the former first minister Alex Salmond has been arrested.
"As I hope members will also be aware, and as applies with all such matters, that means that parliamentary rules on sub-judice apply as this case is now active."
A reminder of the view from the EU on Theresa May's Brexit deal, from the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies