Brexit today - LIVE: Theresa May and senior ministers arrive at Chequers for 'war cabinet' meeting to decide on UK's future relationship with EU

Prime Minister hopes to finally force top Tories to agree Government's aims for future relationship with EU

Theresa May hopes an 'away day' at Chequers will help bring her warring cabinet ministers together (Getty)

Theresa May is hosting ten of her most senior cabinet ministers at Chequers this afternoon as they attempt to reach an agreement on the UK's future relationship with the EU.

It follows two meetings of the 'Brexit war cabinet' earlier this month that failed to reach a compromise. Pro-EU ministers such as Philip Hammond and Amber Rudd have clashed with Brexiteers like Boris Johnson and Liam Fox about how close a relationship the UK should maintain with Europe.

Today's meeting is designed to agree a shared position before Theresa May gives a major speech on Brexit later next week. Jeremy Corbyn will also give a speech on the issue on Monday, with speculation he will soften Labour's stance - possibly with a pledge to keep the UK in the customs union.

Before senior ministers head to Chequers, Robin Walker, the Brexit minister, and Sir Tim Barrow, the UK's representative to the EU, were grilled by Parliament's European Scrutiny Committee, while Liam Fox faced an hour of questions from MPs in the Commons chamber.

[22 February 2018 09:05 · Kristin Hugo]

Welcome to today's live coverage of another big Brexit day, as ministers (hope to) decide the Government's position ahead of the second round of negotiations with Brussels, which begin next month.

[22 February 2018 09:19 · Kristin Hugo]

A bit more on the crunch meeting of the Brexit 'war cabinet' , which is taking place at the Prime Minister's country retreat, Chequers, this afternoon.

It's due to get underway after lunch and continue until around 10pm, although you wouldn't bet against it dragging on into the early hours as ministers try to reach a compromise.

In attendance will be Theresa May and ten of her senior cabinet ministers. They are:

Philip Hammond - Chancellor

Amber Rudd - Home Secretary

Boris Johnson - Foreign Secretary

Davis Davis - Brexit Secretary

Liam Fox - International Trade Secretary

Greg Clark - Business Secretary

David Lidington - Cabinet Office Minister

Gavin Williamson - Defence Secretary

Michael Gove - Environment Secretary

Karen Bradley - Northern Ireland Secretary

[22 February 2018 09:42 · Kristin Hugo]

Michael Gove has told water companies they are "getting it wrong" and warned he toughen regulation unless they act on issues such as prices, leaks and executive pay. Joe Watts' story here: 

[22 February 2018 10:33 · Kristin Hugo]

There's an Urgent Question coming up in the House of Commons on the High Court ruling against the Government's environmental strategy, which Josh Gabbatiss covered yesterday: 

[22 February 2018 10:48 · Kristin Hugo]

Responding to the Urgent Question, Therese Coffey, the environment minister, says the Government will be taking "a more formal approach" to improving air quality in a number of areas where it is high.

This will be followed next month by legally-binding measures to force the councils in question to take action.

"This Government is absolutely committed to improving air quality and we have pledged to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited," she says.

[22 February 2018 10:52 · Kristin Hugo]

The European Scrutiny Committee is currently questioning Robin Walker, the Brexit minister, and Sir Tim Barrow, the UK's representative to the EU.

[22 February 2018 11:02 · Kristin Hugo]

Robin Walker insists there will not be an open-ended transition period, and that the end point will be agreed during negotiations.

"We absolutely believe that the implementation period will be time-limited and that there will be an agreed end date to it."

He says nobody is suggesting this will be significantly different to the two-year period Theresa May has previously proposed.

[22 February 2018 11:05 · Kristin Hugo]

[22 February 2018 11:48 · Kristin Hugo]

New figures released this morning reveal net migration has dropped as a result of plummeting numbers of people moving to the UK from Europe in the wake of the Brexit vote. Here's Lizzie Dearden's report: 

[22 February 2018 12:25 · Kristin Hugo]

Theresa May has hit back at Stormzy's suggestion that she has forgotten about the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. The grime artist used his Brit Awards performance to accuse the Prime Minister of withholding money from survivors. 

In response, Ms May's spokesman said: "She's determined that the public inquiry will discover not just what went wrong but why the voices of the people of Grenfell were ignored over so many years."