Brexit 'War Cabinet' holds crunch meeting after Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May clash over crime at PMQs - as it happened

Prime Minister tries to find common ground between clashing ministers

Can Brexit be reversed?

Theresa May faced Jeremy Corbyn for the weekly Prime Minister's Questions clash, shortly before chairing a crunch meeting of the Cabinet's Brexit sub-committee, where senior ministers attempted to thrash out a shared position on Britain's future relationship with the EU.

At PMQs, the Labour leader pressed Ms May on police cuts and rising levels of knife crime, citing complaints about a "national crisis" in policing.

The Prime Minister managed to avoid too many questions on Brexit, ahead of the tense meeting of her so-called "War Cabinet".

The meeting included pro-EU ministers such as Philip Hammond, Amber Rudd and Greg Clark, who want to maintain close customs ties with the EU, and Brexiteers like Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and Michael Gove, who fear that doing so will restrict the UK's ability to make new trade deals.

It comes after a leaked document revealed European leaders could threaten to restrict the UK's access to the single market if it breaches EU rules during the Brexit transition period.

As it happened...

Key Points

• Leaked documents reveal how the EU could punish Britain during the Brexit transition period
• Brexit 'war Cabinet' to thrash out plan for future relationship

[7 February 2018 12:17 · Kristin Hugo]

Theresa May says Mr Corbyn has called for "much shorter sentences" for people who break the law.

Knife crime went down under the previous, Conservative Mayor of London and has gone back up under Labour's Sadiq Khan, she adds.

"| am very clear that crime is wrong" says Corbyn, somewhat unsurprisingly...

He says "relentless" cuts to police and probation services "have left us less safe", adding: "The reality is you can't have public safety on the cheap".

[7 February 2018 12:22 · Kristin Hugo]

https://twitter.com/ashcowburn/status/961212188164808704https://twitter.com/ashcowburn/status/961212188164808704https://twittehcowburn/status/961212188164808704

[7 February 2018 12:25 · Kristin Hugo]

Calling Labour veteran Dennis Skinner, John Bercow wishes him a happy birthday.

Mr Skinner promptly replies that he "doesn't celebrate things like that". Fair enough..

[7 February 2018 12:27 · Kristin Hugo]

Labour's Jenny Chapman asks what can be done to reduce the number of accidents involving young drivers. Theresa May says the Government will look at introducing a new licensing regime for young drivers.

[7 February 2018 12:29 · Kristin Hugo]

Almost 20 minutes in and still no mention of Brexit at PMQs...

[7 February 2018 12:40 · Kristin Hugo]

Labour's Thelma Walker asks which services her local council should cut in the face of budget cuts.

Ms May says the MP should be welcoming the improvements in her constituency, including the number of students in good schools.

[7 February 2018 12:46 · Kristin Hugo]

Hillary Benn, chair of the Brexit Select Committee, says all free trade agreements require customs checks, which are "incompatible" with maintaining an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

He asks why the Prime Minister "is so opposed to the customs union remaining with the EU when not only would this be better for the British economy than a vague 'deep and special partnership', whatever that is, but would help to ensure that that border remains as it is today, which is what all of us want".

Ms May says being a full member of the customs union means the UK would not be able to forge new trade deals with other countries.

"We're going to have an independent trade policy and do those deals," she adds.

[7 February 2018 12:51 · Kristin Hugo]

Greg Hands has told the BBC's Daily Politics that the UK remaining in the customs union during the transition period is "up for negotiation".

[7 February 2018 12:58 · Kristin Hugo]

MPs are now listening to an urgent question from Labour's Shadow Business Secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey, on the Government's response to the Taylor Review into the gig economy.

She says the Government needed to be bold in strengthening the rights of people in insecure work but instead is "papering over bleak realities with rhetoric".

Responding for the Government, Andrew Griffiths says he wants to improve the rights of workers in unstable jobs and that the Government is giving workers "greater rights".

"We are leading the world in improving the quality of work for our constituents," he adds.

[7 February 2018 13:34 · Kristin Hugo]

Theresa May has refused to deny the NHS could be part of a future trade deal with the US. Responding to a warning from Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable that opening up the health system to private US companies would be "a key objective" for Washington, the Prime Minister said it was "too early" to speculate about US "requirements" for a deal.

“We will go into those negotiations to get the best possible deal for the United Kingdom," she added. More on that story here: