Brexit – as it happened: Theresa May faces split after day of humiliation over non-existent impact papers
All the day's developments in one place
Theresa May is battling to keep Brexit on track after one of her toughest weeks since the process began.
Challenges are coming from all sides for the Prime Minister after negotiations with Brussels stalled on Monday, with intense pressure from Ireland and Europe over key aspects of the border arrangements after Brexit.
Ms May finally spoke to her Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ally Arlene Foster this morning, whose party have insisted they will not sign up to a proposal for Northern Ireland to remain in “regulatory alignment” with the Republic once Britain has left the EU.
However, the Irish government has warned that unless the UK goes ahead with the plan there could be no question of the Brexit negotiations moving on to the second phase – including trade talks – before the end of the year.
During Prime Minister's Questions, Jeremy Corbyn said the Government's efforts were "a shambles" and also mocked International Trade Secretary Liam Fox for previously saying talks would be "the easiest in human history".
MPs are also calling for Brexit Secretary David Davis to be held in contempt of Parliament for "misleading" MPs on the existence of a series of Brexit impact assessments. In a grilling by the Brexit Select Committee today, Mr Davis admitted the reports had not been done.
If that was not enough, the EU (Withdrawal) Bill is facing its fifth day of Commons scrutiny, where the discussions are expected to focus on the Irish border and whether there should be a vote on the Brexit divorce bill.
Brexit Secretary David Davis sought to reassure the DUP that retaining common rules with the Republic on issues such as food safety standards and animal welfare would not effectively mean the creation of a new “border in the Irish Sea” between the North and rest of UK.
In the Commons on Tuesday, he pointedly did not rule out the idea that regulations which continued to apply in Northern Ireland could be retained across the whole of the UK.
“Every approach we take will treat the whole of the UK as a single constitutional entity and a single economic entity,” he said.
However the move threatened to put him on a collision course with hardline Tory Brexiteers who argue that escaping EU rules and regulations is one of the key benefits of leaving.
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The Commons Brexit Select Committee has agreed a resolution saying that the Government has complied with a House of Commons vote forcing ministers to show MPs whatever analysis they have undertaken on the impact of Brexit on the UK economy.
It comes after David Davis admitted that no impact assessments relating to different parts of the economy have been carried out.
The Committee's resolution states: "That, in view of the statement that no impact assessments have been undertaken, the Committee considers that the Government’s response to the resolution of the House of 1 November has complied with the terms of that resolution.”
It means David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, is unlikely to be charged with contempt of Parliament for failing to release the papers.
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