Brexit news: Prospect of UK staying in EU 'greater than at any point since referendum', Sturgeon says
Scottish first minister says SNP will do everything in its power to stop EU departure
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The chances of stopping Brexit and keeping the UK in the European Union are the greatest they have been since the Leave vote, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
With Theresa May currently facing a battle to get her proposed withdrawal agreement through parliament next week, the Scottish first minister said her party would do everything in its power to try to put the brakes on the process.
She spoke out the day after the Scottish parliament overwhelmingly voted against both the PM's deal and the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.
Following that 92 to 29 vote in Holyrood, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie called on the first minister to "reject all and every kind of Brexit".
Ms Sturgeon said: "I do oppose all and every kind of Brexit, I don't want Brexit to happen, I want Scotland and the whole of the UK to stay within the EU."
She added: "I do think there is a greater prospect of achieving that aim now than there has appeared to be at any time over the last two and a half years, which is why the SNP will do everything we can to bring that about."
Mr Rennie said with the prime minister facing "certain defeat" on Tuesday in the Commons, he had "never felt more confident that we can stop Brexit".
He hit out at the first minister for arguing for the compromise position of keeping the Scotland in the single market and customs union.
"We've got the Conservatives on the run, so we shouldn't be hunting for a compromise that has already been discredited," Mr Rennie said.
"Every kind of Brexit will damage the economy, that is why we should be opposing every kind of Brexit.
"I am frustrated I need to keep raising this with the first minister."
Ms Sturgeon told him Tory ministers had already said the proposed withdrawal agreement, with its backstop arrangements for Northern Ireland, could give it an "unrivalled advantage" in attracting foreign investment.
"There's the risk to Scotland in a nutshell," she said.
"We want to stay in the EU but if that can't be achieved we want to see solutions that do the least damage to Scotland."
Britain before Brexit: Southwest England
Show all 14Speaking at first minister's questions, she stressed the need for her government to consider "how you protect Scotland's best interests in all possible circumstances".
The SNP leader said: "If we can't achieve keeping the UK in the EU then I have an obligation to look at what then best protects Scotland's interests."
She said the "worst possible situation for Scotland to be in" after Brexit would be for the country to "be at a competitive disadvantage with Northern Ireland, which is why we need to have at least the same relationship with the single market and customs union that Northern Ireland is going to have to have".
Ms Sturgeon also told the Liberal Democrat: "Willie Rennie and I agree on the issue of Brexit, I do think it is regrettable that he keeps trying to find points of disagreement when actually it would be more powerful for us just to come together and unequivocally agree."
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Appearing on the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme, Theresa May indicated she would go ahead with the crunch Commons vote next Tuesday - despite reports this morning that members of the cabinet are urging the prime minister to delay the vote due to high probability of defeat in five days' time.
She said: "We are in the middle of five days of debate in Parliament which will lead up to a vote on this issue."
"There are concerns about part of that withdrawal bit of the deal, which is what has come to be called the backstop.
"I recognise that there are those concerns. Any deal, any agreement, any arrangement that we came to with the European Union would involve a backstop.
"So, people talk about, 'let's have a Norway, or let's have a Canada', everything involves a backstop. Secondly, none of the other arrangements that people have put forward fully deliver on the referendum. This deal delivers on the referendum."
During the interview she also signalled that MPs would decide whether the UK went into a backstop or extended the transition period.
"There will be a choice between, if we get to that point, a choice between going into the backstop and extending the transition period," she said. "Now, there are pros and cons of both sides of that. People have a concern of the backstop, that we could be in it indefinitely.
"But in the backstop we have no financial obligations, we have no free movement, we have very light level playing field rules with the EU. In the implementation period, we still have to negotiate the terms, but, there will be concerns about the fact that they would require, I'm sure they would require, some more money to be paid, for example. So there would be arguments on different sides."
Breaking: The standards commissioner in parliament has ruled that Boris Johnson will have to make a formal apology to the Commons over the late declaration of nine payments amounting to over £50,000.
"The Commissioner found that Mr Johnson acted in breach of the House’s rules on the registration of his financial interests. She found that registrations were late on four separate occasions, involving nine payments, which suggested a lack of attention to, or regard for, the House’s requirements.
"The Commissioner therefore concluded the breach was neither inadvertent or minor. She was consequently unable to rectify the complaint, and referred the matter to Committee on Standards.
"The Committee concluded that Mr Johnson breached the rules of the House by failing to register remuneration within the required timetable on nine occasions. In considering the appropriate sanction it took into account what it considered to be aggravating and mitigating factors, and recommended that Mr Johnson make an apology to the House on a Point of Order."
Steve Barclay - the new Brexit secretary - is making his debut in the Commons at Exiting the European Union questions. He told MPs there is "not an absolute guarantee" that the UK will continue to party to 40 trade deals signed by the EU with 70 countries.
He made the remarks after Hillary Benn - a Labour MP - asked Mr Barclay to give assurances to business that trade agreements would continue to apply post-Brexit.
Andrea Leadsom - the Commons leader - is now speaking at business questions. She reiterates her opposition to producing government legal advice to Parliament - after Number 10 was forced to publish its advice on Wednesday.
She says she can confirm the meaningful vote will go ahead next week.
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has insisted that the agreement with the PM was the only deal on offer - as MPs gear up to vote on the deal in five days' time.
In a speech at the European Committee of the Regions, he said: "I must say once again, today, calmly and clearly: It is the only and the best possible agreement."
He added that Brexit was a "lose-lose" situation and the deal was an exercise in "damage limitation".
Downing Street has dismissed suggestions that the "meaningful vote" could be delayed from its scheduled date of December 11.
"The vote will take place on Tuesday as planned," said a Number 10 spokeswoman.
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