European elections - live: Corbyn tells supporters 'get ready for a general election' as Theresa May teeters on brink after shelving Brexit vote
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Theresa May is thought to be on the brink of resignation as she faces a growing cabinet revolt over her Brexit plan and humiliation for the Conservative Party in today's European elections.
The prime minister is expected to announce a departure plan on Friday after failing to quell a ministerial mutiny over her revised EU withdrawal agreement. Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, the most prominent Brexiteer in the cabinet, quit late on Wednesday and other ministers were expected to follow her out of the door.
It comes as both the Tories and Labour face a drubbing in European parliament elections, with the Liberal Democrats and the Brexit Party set to capitalise.
Nigel Farage - the Brexit Party leader - has said he wants to be the shortest serving MEP in history as voters across the country head to the polls in the European elections today.
Speaking to reporters outside a polling station near London Biggin Hill airport, Mr Farage said: "I hope to be the shortest lived MEP in history.
"If you want Brexit, you've got to vote Brexit.We did it once, they ignored us, so we're going to tell them again.
"This time they will realise it isn't just the votes we get today, it's what we might get at a general election that would cost them all their jobs.
"So they better listen to what people have to say today or they'll all be unemployed."
A seemingly surprise departure, just hours before polls open for the European elections, appears a logical step for an MP determined to become the next Tory leader, writes political commentator John Rentoul
Thousands of British nationals living abroad have been deprived of their votes in today’s elections due to administrative errors by UK authorities, according to widespread reports.
British In Europe, which represents UK nationals living in the EU, said “postal votes have gone missing, arrived late or simply didn’t arrive at all”.
For European Parliament elections, British citizens who live abroad can choose to either vote in their host country or back in Britain – with many choosing to vote in the UK this year because of the effect of Brexit on their lives.
Jeremy Corbyn has told supporters in Worthing to "get ready for a general election". During a visit to West Sussex to meet supporters and some of the party's South East England European election candidates, he said: "This Government can't last very long.
"And so, get ready for a general election."
He visited the area after Labour doubled its seats on Worthing Borough Council during the local elections earlier in the month.
In a meeting with Ms May, home secretary Sajid Javid is understood to have made clear to the prime minister that he does not want the Government to pave the way for a second referendum.
In a “frank” discussion, Mr Javid said he was pleased that that the Government was not bringing forward the Withdrawal Agreement Bill at this point. He left with the understanding that his concerns would be looked at.
Theresa May’s official spokesman did not reject suggestions that the prime minister is having a “rethink” on her latest Brexit plan.
He said: “The prime minister is listening to her colleagues’ views about the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. If you are having those conversations and you’re listening to what people have to say then by definition you’re going to give full consideration to those views.”
He also rejected suggestions that the plan outlined by Ms May in a speech on Tuesday differed from that agreed by the cabinet.
He said: “The prime minister’s speech reflected the discussion that took place in cabinet earlier that day.”
Boris Johnson could be summoned to court to face accusations of misconduct in public office over his infamous pledge to claw back £350m a week from Brussels for the NHS.
Lawyers accused the former foreign secretary of lying to voters during the 2016 referendum campaign, as part of efforts to launch a private prosecution by the Brexit Justice campaign.
Mr Johnson, who is a frontrunner to succeed Theresa May, has already been rapped by the statistics watchdog for using the figure, which was splashed across the side of a Vote Leave campaign bus.
A crucial explainer on the European Parliament elections from our Europe Correspondent Jon Stone.
Responding to reports of EU citizens being turned away from polling stations, Labour's Cat Smith, shadow minister for voter engagement, said: "We repeatedly warned the Government that European citizens living in the UK would be denied their right to vote because of its incompetent approach to Brexit.
"From day one, the Tories have buried their heads in the sand about these elections, even at the eleventh hour when it was clear that the Government's botched Brexit deal would not pass.
"This has caused havoc for electoral administrators tasked with delivering a national poll with extremely short notice.
"Labour pointed out on multiple occasions that EU citizens needed more time to return their declaration forms to ensure they can exercise their democratic right to vote. The Government is solely to blame for this chaos."
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