New vote on Brexit to take place on Friday

MPs will vote again on Brexit on Friday but it is not clear whether it will be another “meaningful vote” on the PM’s withdrawal deal.

The Guardian says that Theresa May is still aiming to hold a vote on her Brexit deal on Friday, even though there are no new talks with the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) and more Tory Eurosceptics have hardened their positions against it.

The BBC says that when asked whether the motion would be the “full package”, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said discussion was “ongoing”.

There is speculation that MPs might be asked to vote on the withdrawal agreement but not the further “political declaration”.

Some Labour MPs have been approached by Conservative whips about the plan to split the withdrawal agreement and political declaration. However, Labour said it could not vote for leaving the EU without an idea of where the UK was heading in its relationship.

Labour said that would lead to the “blindest of blind Brexits”. The PM’s deal includes a withdrawal agreement – setting out how much money the UK must pay to the EU as a settlement, details of the transition period, and the backstop arrangements – and a political declaration on the way the future EU-UK relationship will work.

Via BBC / The Guardian