Brexit news: Theresa May insists her EU exit plan is not dead before flying to Brussels for crucial meeting

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PMQs 171018

Theresa May insisted her Chequers blueprint for Brexit was not "dead" hours before she travelled to Brussels to address EU leaders at a crucial summit.

Tackling Ms May at the weekly session of prime minister's questions, Jeremy Corbyn noted she had not mentioned "Chequers" in either her conference speech or in a recent update to the Commons on the state of the negotiations.

But, in her reply, Ms May said: "He asked me if the Chequers plan was dead, the answer is no."

Arriving at the EU summit, the prime minister said she believes a deal on the UK's orderly withdrawal from the EU remains "achievable", despite the deadlock in negotiations.

Ms May was due to address leaders of the 27 remaining EU states before they discuss Brexit in her absence at the European Council on Wednesday evening.

But leaders were openly saying that there would be "no breakthrough" at the summit, which was long billed as the "moment of truth" when a deal must be done to give time for ratification by the date of Brexit on March 29.

To follow the events as they unfolded, see our liveblog below

Key Points

• Theresa May says Chequer's plan is not dead - ahead of EU summit
• Labour defeated in attempt to force government to publish universal credit analysis
• Michel Barnier ‘open to extending Brexit transition period by a year’
• 'No grounds for optimism' ahead of summit, EU's Donald Tusk says

[17 October 2018 12:37 · Lizzy Buchan]

John Baron, Tory MP, asks about the Japanese PM's comments that the UK could join a major trade partnership after Brexit. Will the Common rulebook in her plan ruin this?

May says she welcomes early discussion about this and seeks to reassure him that this is possible.

[17 October 2018 12:39 · Lizzy Buchan]

Teresa Pierce, Labour MP, says she has a constituent who was being sexually harassed at work. How can she reassure her about going back to work if the employer is this Parliament?

May says harassment and bullying is never acceptable and the woman must be allowed to come to work and be treated with respect.

It comes in the wake of Dame Laura Cox's report on harassment and bullying in parliament, which was published this week.

[17 October 2018 12:42 · Lizzy Buchan]

Earlier, Labour’s Ben Bradshaw raised the case of his constituent Matthew Hedges, who has been jailed in UAE on spying charges. Bradshaw says he was only doing academic research and asked government to intervene,

May says the government is offering the student its support.

[17 October 2018 12:42 · Lizzy Buchan]

That's it for PMQs this week. John Rentoul and Andrew Grice are offering their snap analysis now.

[17 October 2018 12:46 · Lizzy Buchan]

[17 October 2018 13:03 · Lizzy Buchan]

Interesting development from the morning - The US administration has formally confirmed it intends to pursue a trade deal with the UK "as soon as it is ready" after leaving the EU.

Donald Trump's trade representative Robert Lighthizer notified Congress of plans to open negotiations with the UK, as well as with the EU and Japan.

Talks with the EU and Japan are intended to begin "as soon as practicable", and certainly within 90 days, but the US-UK negotiations will have to wait until after the date of Brexit on March 29 next year.

A bilateral trade deal with the US is regarded by Brexiteers as a major prize but discussions are likely to spark controversy over US demands for access to UK markets for GM crops, hormone-enhanced beef and chlorine-washed chicken.

[17 October 2018 13:27 · Lizzy Buchan]

John Rentoul, our chief political commentator, takes a look at what we can expect in the Brexit talks today:

[17 October 2018 13:41 · Lizzy Buchan]

If you are feeling frustrated by the Brexit process, why not join hundreds of thousands of people prepared to march in central London this Saturday to demand a People’s Vote referendum.

The Independent has been running its own Final Say campaign to demand the referendum, with more than 860,000 people having signed its petition so far.

[17 October 2018 13:59 · Lizzy Buchan]

An MP has issued a warning over the danger of not treating patients for eating disorders unless they’re deemed “thin enough” by health professionals.

Wera Hobhouse, a Liberal Democrat politician and MP for Bath, was speaking during a Westminster Hall debate on eating disorders, which took place this week.

Story here: 

[17 October 2018 14:06 · Lizzy Buchan]