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As it happenedended1542733631

DUP expected to abstain for second time on crucial Budget votes

Ashley Cowburn
Political Correspondent
Tuesday 20 November 2018 15:04 GMT
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Which Conservative MPs have handed in letters of no confidence in Theresa May?

MPs from the Democratic Unionist Party are expected to abstain for a second time on crucial Budget votes in the Commons in protest at Theresa May's Brexit deal.

It comes after Eurosceptics in the party faced questions over the apparent collapse of their efforts to trigger a no confidence in the prime minister.

At a press conference MPs from the European Research Group (ERG) of Brexiteer Conservatives were interrogated over their failure to persuade 48 colleagues to submit letters of no confidence in Ms May to the chair of the 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg insisted "patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace" when pressed on whether the necessary 48 letters had been sent, as he warned his colleagues that now might be their only chance to remove Ms May ahead of the next general election.

Tory rebel organiser Steve Baker said it was "now or never" to oust Ms May and characterised the move as an "insurrection by a group of determined democrats" against the "might of the state".

It comes after Mr Rees-Mogg issued a rallying call to other Tory MPs to topple the prime minister last week, when he joined around 26 Conservative backbenchers in publicly submitting no-confidence letters to Sir Graham Brady, of the 1922 committee.

Asked why the threshold had not been met, he said: "Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace. We will see what letters come in due time.

"Do 47 want to come with me or not? I may find that they don't or they don't do it today but when we get the meaningful vote. That's a decision for them."

This liveblog has now closed, but you can read about the events in Westminster today above

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Spain threatens to reject Brexit deal over GibraltarThe Spanish government has threatened to reject Theresa May’s Brexit deal over the issue of Gibraltar, demanding that last-minute changes be made to the text ahead of a crunch summit.The country’s foreign minister said Spain would not back the proposals at the European Council unless it received assurances that the agreement would not apply to Gibraltar. But Downing Street said it would not exempt Gibraltar or any other British territory from the agreement – putting the two governments on a collision course ahead of the meeting this weekend. 

Ashley Cowburn20 November 2018 08:15
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DUP abstains on crucial votes in warning over May's Brexit agreementTheresa May's ability to maintain her governing majority has been thrown into doubt after DUP MPs, whose votes she relies on, pulled their support during a dramatic evening in the House of Commons.Arlene Foster's party abstained on a series of key budget votes in protest at Ms May's proposed Brexit deal, which it has vowed to vote against.The move appears to violate the terms of the DUP's confidence and supply agreement with the Conservatives and raises fresh questions over the ability of Ms May government to pass crucial legislation.

Ashley Cowburn20 November 2018 08:16
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 Labour promises to end civil service qualifications ‘snobbery’Civil servants will no longer require academic qualifications such as degrees or A-Levels unless they are generally relevant to the role being sought, the Labour Party has pledged.The party says it is looking to tackle the “snobbery” over qualifications by ensuring the civil service recognises and values an individual’s skills, knowledge, and potential, regardless of their background.The move will look to ensure that public adverts for jobs, short-listing requirements and interview processes will only look at academic qualifications if it is a necessary occupational requirement.

Ashley Cowburn20 November 2018 08:18
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Pro-Brexit Conservatives struggling to gather support for Theresa May leadership challengeHardliners embarrassed as threatened 48 signatures fail to materialise – despite a boast that ‘the line will be crossed by a big margin on Monday’

Ashley Cowburn20 November 2018 08:48
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Theresa May has insisted her Brexit deal puts Northern Ireland in a "fantastic position" for the future. In an opinion piece published in the Belfast Telegraph, the PM claimed the region's constitutional status within the UK had been guaranteed in the agreement.

"The challenge of Brexit has always been to continue our deep trading links and security co-operation with the EU in our new relationship, whilst freeing us to take advantage of the opportunities, such as an independent trade policy," she wrote.

"This deal strikes that balance, and puts Northern Ireland in a fantastic position for the future."

Ashley Cowburn20 November 2018 09:08
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Introduce ID cards to control immigration instead of leaving the EU, report saysID cards should be introduced in the UK as part of a new effort to control immigration without the need for Brexit, a new report has said.Tightening current rules and forcing everyone living in the UK to have an electronic identity card would address many voters’ concerns about immigration without the need for Brexit, the Global Future think tank said.The report was backed by Labour peer and former cabinet minister Andrew Adonis, who said Remain supporters needed to show they were responding to the issues that led people to vote for Brexit.It suggested the UK should do more within existing EU rules to tighten controls on immigration, pointing out that Britain is the only country in the bloc not to have a national ID system.

Ashley Cowburn20 November 2018 09:16
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Ashley Cowburn20 November 2018 09:20
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DUP warns Theresa May to 'keep her side of the bargain' on Brexit or risk deal that keeps her in powerThe Democratic Unionist Party has warned Theresa May to “keep her side of the bargain” on Brexit if she wants to save the deal that props her up in power. The prime minister’s partner in government stepped up its threats after refusing to support her in key Budget votes – in a direct breach of the terms of the confidence and supply agreement.The move triggered Labour claims that “we no longer have a functioning government” and that her “grubby deal with the DUP has come back to bite her”.

Ashley Cowburn20 November 2018 09:29
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Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has delivered a renewed warning against any attempt to oust the Prime Minister.

"Seeking to remove her risks the most appalling chaos that could be immensely damaging to our national reputation, but also destabilising and potentially stopping us getting through to the other side of Brexit," he told The Guardian during an official visit to Tehran.

Ashley Cowburn20 November 2018 09:46
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Amber Rudd claimss UN warning on desperate plight of UK's poorest is 'inappropriate'Amber Rudd has launched an attack on a UN report about the state of poverty in Britain in her first Commons appearance as work and pensions secretary.In her new role as head of the department that oversees UK welfare policy, Ms Rudd said the language used by the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights was “wholly inappropriate” and “discredited a lot of what he was saying”.Friday’s report found that policies and drastic cuts to social support were entrenching high levels of poverty and inflicting unnecessary misery in one of the richest countries in the world, adding that Brexit was exacerbating the problem.

Ashley Cowburn20 November 2018 09:57

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