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As it happenedended

Brexit today - as it happened: MPs debate final stage of EU Withdrawal Bill before passing to Lords

Follow all the latest updates from Westminster here

Ashley Cowburn
Political Correspondent
Wednesday 17 January 2018 09:31 GMT
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Jeremy Corbyn hits out at the government's use of private companies following Carillion collapse

MPs have debated the final stage of the EU Withdrawal Bill before a vote later this evening approving the passage of the legislation to the Lords.

Dozens of MPs made contributions but the most significant came from Justine Greening, the former Education Secretary, who made her first intervention since leaving the Government last week.

She warned that Brexit will “not be sustainable” if it does not work for young people, adding that future generations of MPs could seek to “improve or undo” what the current cohort implements.

“The bottom line is that looking ahead if Brexit doesn't work for young people in our country, in the end it will not be sustainable,” she said.

The debate came after Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn closed in the Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions over the dramatic collapse of the construction and services company Carillion.

The Labour leader used all six of his questions to ask about the issue, having previously called for the directors of the failed firm to give back their multi-million pound bonuses.

The company is the second biggest construction firm in the UK and employs 20,000 people across the country and managing 450 government contracts.

Ashley Cowburn17 January 2018 09:46

This is from the Press Association on David Miliband's interview on BBC Radio 4 Today's programme.

The UK Government must do more to highlight the humanitarian crisis being caused by the war in Syria, former foreign secretary David Miliband has said.

Civilians are being "bombed to hell" by Bashar Assad's forces but the UN Security Council - of which the UK is a member - has been sidelined, he said.

Former Cabinet minister Mr Miliband, who leads aid organisation the International Rescue Committee, said instability in Syria could not be confined within its borders.

"It cannot be right that civilians are being bombed to hell without the UN Security Council playing any role at all - as far as anyone can see, it has been driven off the scene," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

In a message to Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, he said: "The UK should have a foreign policy that matches the responsibility that goes with being a permanent member of the Security Council.

"At the moment the UN has been sidelined when it comes to the greatest war in the Middle East at the moment, the Syrian war.

"That cannot be in the interests of the region or, frankly, in the interests of the wider world because one of the lessons of the last seven years in Syria is that nothing that is born in Syria stays in Syria and the instability is exported beyond its borders, not confined within them."

Ashley Cowburn17 January 2018 09:50

European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker has said he would be “happy” to help Britain rejoin the EU if it wishes to after Brexit, under Article 49 of the Lisbon Treaty.

It comes after European Commission president Donald Tusk said on Tuesday he was open to a “change of heart” from the UK.

Addressing MEPs on Wednesday, Mr Juncker said: “In London, there was a rather irritated response to this proposal (to stay in the EU), but note that even if the British leave according to Article 50 then Article 49 would allow them to accede again and I would be happy to facilitate that.”

Ashley Cowburn17 January 2018 09:54
Ashley Cowburn17 January 2018 10:06

I'd not go quite that far, but I do recall a history prof of mine who had a line about "the best thing Hugh Gaitske… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

philipjcowley17 January 2018 10:21

Ashley Cowburn17 January 2018 10:25
John Rentoul17 January 2018 10:25

Support for independence in Scotland basically unchanged at 43% (-1 since Oct) to 57%. @YouGov for Times £ thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotla…

John Rentoul17 January 2018 10:32

Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston says Boris Johnson should stop using the £350m figure for NHS. Speaking on the BBC's Radio 5 live, she said it is a "disgrace" and "absolutely" shocking he is still using the "entirely deliberate deception".

Ashley Cowburn17 January 2018 10:33

Only 35-36% want a 2nd #indyref before or after Brexit, or in next 5 years @YouGov for Times £ thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotla…

John Rentoul17 January 2018 10:34

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