Brexit: Swinson urges Corbyn to back second referendum amid wait for EU extension decision – live news
Rolling updates of today’s political developments, including the Queen’s speech vote, division over a possible election and EU debate over Brexit extension
- Full story: Cabinet split over pre-Christmas election
- Corbyn urged to resist election calls
- Analysis: Labour reluctance goes beyond no-deal fears
• Boris Johnson’s cabinet is divided over how to proceed with Brexit, as the prime minister faces the stark choice of pressing ahead with his deal or gambling his premiership on a pre-Christmas general election.
After an inconclusive meeting with Jeremy Corbyn on Wednesday morning in an attempt to agree an acceptable timetable for parliament to consider the bill, the prime minister told MPs at Wednesday’s PMQs that he was awaiting the decision of the EU27 over whether to grant an extension before settling his next move. The EU’s decision is unlikely to come before Friday.
• Boris Johnson will be left waiting for the EU’s terms for a further Brexit extension until Friday, with signs of momentum building behind Donald Tusk’s plan for a delay up to 31 January.
The French government has privately voiced its concerns about taking the pressure off MPs to vote for the deal, which they believe could be ratified in 15 days, but EU sources said the bloc was seeking a “solution that works for all” and avoids a no deal exit.
Tusk, the president of the European council, told Johnson in a phone call on Wednesday his reasons for “recommending the EU27 accept the UK request for an extension”.
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, is speaking in the debate on the Queen’s speech, which he describes as little more than a crude election stunt.
He says the reality is that after almost a decade of harsh and brutal austerity, a few cynical attempts to paper over the cracks in the NHS and elsewhere go nowhere near making a difference.
McDonnell in Commons:
“Both main parties committed in their last manifestos to respecting the outcome of the referendum. And we do. And we will.
“However as it made clear on Tuesday, this House will not be bounced into an unrealistic and unfeasible timetable for…legislation”