Brexit news - live: Furious Tory MPs demand Theresa May resign over 'abject surrender' as she faces Commons onslaught over latest delay to EU departure

Live updates as prime minister prepares to address parliament after agreeing extension of Britain's EU membership

Theresa May blames MPs for Brexit delay following EU summit

Theresa May faced the wrath of Tory Brexiteers as she addressed parliament after sealing a six-month extension of the UK's EU membership.

The prime minister insisted she would not resign after European leaders agreed to delay Brexit until 31 October in late-night talks in Brussels.

The second delay to the Brexit process - initially intended to conclude on 29 March - averted a no-deal withdrawal on Friday with less than 48 hours to go.

However, it infuriated anti-EU Conservative MPs, who insisted the UK should have instead left the EU without a deal.

As she updated MPs in the Commons, Ms May faced calls from veteran Tory Sir Bill Cash to step down. He accused her of an “abject surrender” and asked if she would resign. Ms May replied: “I think you know the answer to that”.

Another Brexiteer, Peter Bone, asked the prime minister if she planned to “honour” her vow not to delay Brexit beyond 30 June.

But the prime minister insisted she could still get a Brexit deal through parliament and said cross-party talks with Labour must “press on at pace”.

It came after a marathon European Council meeting to discuss the UK's request to delay Brexit until 30 June. Most EU leaders had wanted a much longer extension but settled on the date of 31 October after strong opposition to a lengthy delay from French president Emmanuel Macron.

Afterwards, Council president Donald Tusk admitted it was his “quiet dream” that the UK would remain in the EU.

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Ms May, who will deliver a statement in the Commons on Thursday, told MPs weeks ago that she was “not prepared to delay Brexit any further than 30 June” as prime minister and would resign once this stage of talks was complete.

Key Points

• Theresa May defends delay to Brexit until 31 October...
• ...but prime minister faces calls to resign from furious Tory MPs
• Ministers welcome arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange
• Donald Tusk says it is his 'quiet dream' that Britain will stay in EU

[11 April 2019 10:18 · Benjamin Kentish]

Tim Barrow, the UK's ambassador to the EU, wrote to Donald Tusk, the European Council president, early this morning to confirm the UK's approval of the decision to delay Brexit until 31 October.

Here's his letter in full

[11 April 2019 10:40 · Benjamin Kentish]

Geoffrey Cox, the attorney general, is currently answering MPs' questions in the Commons.

Mark Francois, a prominent Brexiteer, asks how it makes sense for the UK to spend £100m taking part in European Parliament elections in May. 

Mr Cox admits "the entire country is expecting us to move on to leave the European Union" but says the UK has a legal obligation to take part in the elections if MPs continue to refuse to ratify the withdrawal agreement. 

[11 April 2019 10:41 · Benjamin Kentish]

DUP leader Arlene Foster is currently meeting the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, in Brussels, alongside senior Tory Eurosceptics Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson. We're hoping to have more information on their discussions later today. 

[11 April 2019 10:57 · Benjamin Kentish]

NEW: Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder, has been arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London after spending seven years in the building.

A Metropolitan Police statement said:

"Julian Assange, 47, has today, Thursday 11 April, been arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) at the Embassy of Ecuador, Hans Crescent, SW1 on a warrant issued by Westminster Magistrates' Court on 29 June 2012, for failing to surrender to the court.

"He has been taken into custody at a central London police station where he will remain, before being presented before Westminster Magistrates' Court as soon as is possible.

"The MPS had a duty to execute the warrant, on behalf of Westminster Magistrates' Court, and was invited into the embassy by the Ambassador, following the Ecuadorian government's withdrawal of asylum."

Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, and Sajid Javid, the home secretary, have already responded to the arrest...

[11 April 2019 11:13 · Benjamin Kentish]

Conservative MP Johnny Mercer has just tweeted this, suggesting Tory whips have been asking his old army friends for "dirt" on him...

[11 April 2019 11:31 · Benjamin Kentish]

In the Commons, Andrea Leadsom confirms that the agreement to delay Brexit means parliament will be in recess next week, as planned. That will come as a major relief to MPs and Commons staff after weeks of drama over Brexit. MPs were due to be in their constituencies this week too but were ordered to be in parliament in case there were key votes on Brexit.

MPs will return to Westminster on 22 April for the next stages of the Brexit saga.

[11 April 2019 11:46 · Benjamin Kentish]

A third of adults in the UK say Brexit has had a negative impact on their mental health, according to a new study.

The poll for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) found that 33 per cent of people said Brexit had impacted their mental health and wellbeing, while an additional 24 per cent said it had "a little" effect.

Labour and Liberal Democrat voters were more than twice as likely to say this was the case.

Andrew Kinder, a counsellor and BACP governor, said:

"Most of us dislike change, because of the uncertainty it creates, and there is a lot of uncertainty around Brexit.

"There is uncertainty on whichever side people voted for, whether that is Remain or Leave.

"Uncertainty can be stressful for people, and it does impact on their wellbeing, and if people have underlying issues as well, this is fuelling it and adding to it."

[11 April 2019 11:59 · Benjamin Kentish]

There will now be a ministerial statement on Julian Assange's arrest, after Theresa May updates MPs on the latest delay to Brexit.

We're expecting the prime minister to address the Commons around 1pm. Before then there will be a statement on discrimination in football.

[11 April 2019 12:10 · Benjamin Kentish]

Opinion: The Halloween Brexit extension confirms it - we are never leaving the EU, writes chief political commentator John Rentoul

 

[11 April 2019 12:27 · Benjamin Kentish]

Speaking after meeting Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, in Brussels, DUP leader Arlene Foster says:

"We wanted to have the unionist voice heard so that he could hear the impact of the backstop and what it will do to the balance in Northern Ireland.

"We had good engagement around that issue today."

She refuses to be drawn on whether she has confidence in Theresa May, saying only:

"As you know, the confidence and supply agreement that we signed was with the Conservative Party and whoever the leader of the party is we will work with. We believe in national stability. We want to see Brexit delivered."