Brexit news: Theresa May meets union leaders to break deadlock as EU urges her to drop red lines
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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”.
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Sir James Dyson has defended himself against accusations of hypocrisy following the decision to move his tech company’s HQ from Wiltshire to Singapore.
The millionaire inventor, who has been a vocal support of Brexit, came under fire earlier this week as critics said the relocation contradicted Mr Dyson’s claim that he was “enormously optimistic” about the UK’s trading future post-Brexit.
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Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said he hoped his first ever meeting with Theresa May was not a "PR stunt".
He stressed that a no-deal Brexit would be "disastrous" and urged the Prime Minister to extend Article 50 beyond March 29 for three months.
Mr McCluskey said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was right to refuse to meet the Prime Minister unless she ruled out a no-deal Brexit.
The Unite leader said companies were now putting investment decisions on hold because of the ongoing uncertainty.
He added: "I cannot conceive any prime minister taking us out of Europe with a no deal - it would be catastrophic."
In the wake of the decision by People's Vote-backing MPs to pull a bid for a second referendum, the Liberal Democrats have tabled their own amendment calling on the government to prepare for a final say vote.
The amendment, supported by all Liberal Democrat MPs, also calls on the government “to take all necessary steps to rule out a No-Deal scenario".
Lib Dem Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said: “We know people are increasingly concerned about the national embarrassment Brexit has become, which is why we have tabled an amendment that would give people the final say on Brexit.
“There is still time to act in the national interest. Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour leadership must stop dreaming up more and more creative excuses for refusing to support a people’s vote, which their members and supporters want.
“No matter who delivers Brexit it will be bad for jobs, the NHS and reduce our standing in the world."
Business minister Richard Harrington has reportedly challenged Theresa May to sack him, after he said he was “delighted” by remarks from Airbus, who branded the government’s handling of Brexit a “disgrace”.
Richard Harrington, who has previously threatened to walk away from his ministerial role if the prime minister oversees a no-deal Brexit, said the company was “telling it like it is”.
According to the Guardian, Mr Harrington told an audience of German industrialists: “This is a disaster for business and business needs to know where it is, and that doesn’t mean, ‘Oh great, two weeks before we are leaving, now we can rule out crashing out.
“I really don’t believe in this idea. I am very happy to be public about it and very happy if the prime minister decides I am not the right person to do the business industry job.”
“[A no-deal Brexit] would be a total disaster for the economy, I was delighted to read Airbus’s comments this morning because it is telling it like it is.”
Airbus senior vice president Katherine Bennett has suggested the government asked the company to make clear the potential impact of a no-deal scenario.
Asked if the government had put the firm up to issue warnings about the consequences of leaving the EU without an agreement, Ms Bennett told Sky News: "No, the government didn't.
"The government have been talking to us and other industry representatives all the time, of course, and we've given them lots of information about the potential impacts.
"But they did say 'could you make sure that you make clear the potential impact of a no deal?', and we are happy to do that because no deal is potentially going to be catastrophic for us."
Speaking in Davos, Philip Hammond, the chancellor, has said that a no-deal Brexit would be seen as a "betrayal" of the promises that were made during the EU referendum campaign over two years ago.
In comments reported by the Financial Times, Mr Hammond said: “Not leaving would be seen as a betrayal of that [2016] referendum decision, but equally leaving without a deal would undermine our prosperity and would equally represent a betrayal of the promises that were made”.
"And that is why I, having campaigned vigorously to remain in the referendum, have come to believe that the only credible and sustainable solution is for us to leave the European Union, to honour the referendum decision but to do so in a way that protects our economy in order to allow us to deliver that future prosperity that those voters were promised when they voted to leave the EU.
"The only sustainable solution is a negotiated settlement with the EU."
Asked if Theresa May had full confidence in business minister Richard Harrington, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: "Yes."
She added: "The prime minister expects ministers to be focused on getting the government's deal through."
Regarding the current situation in Venezuela, Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary has just issued this statement
“We are extremely concerned about the situation in Venezuela, but it is clear that Nicholas Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela.
“The election on 20th May was deeply flawed; ballot boxes were stuffed, there were counting irregularities and the opposition was banned. This regime has done untold damage to the people of Venezuela, 10% of the population have left Venezuela such is the misery they are suffering.
“So the United Kingdom believes Juan Guaido is the right person to take Venezuela forward. We are supporting the US, Canada, Brazil and Argentina to make that happen. I will be meeting Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Pompeo later this afternoon to discuss this further. But for anyone in the UK who thinks that Venezuela is an example, who thinks that we should be adopting the policies supported by the discredited Maduro regime, they need to look at their TV screens and think again. This regime has caused untold suffering to its people.”
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