Brexit and Future of UK : Discussions
- Thread starter Vergennes
- Start date
If the Troubles return after Brexit, it won't just be because of the Irish border issue
The British government is removing essential building blocks of the Good Friday Agreement such as human rights and a non-partisan position between unionists and nationalists
Michel Barnier says 'operational backstop solution' for Irish border is essential
A dangerous lack of understanding about the nature of the threat that Brexit poses to peace in Northern Ireland is based on a misconception about the causes of the 30-year-long Troubles that ended with the Good Friday Agreement.
The conflict was never primarily about the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, but about the civil and economic rights of the Roman Catholic minority in the north in relation to the Protestant majority. It was the civil rights march in Derry on 5 October 1968, a protest which was brutally attacked by the police in front of the television cameras, which was the crucial moment in the rise of peaceful opposition to a one-party unionist state. When this failed to achieve its ends, the door was opened to violence and the rise of the Provisional IRA.
At the heart of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which finally ended the most ferocious guerrilla war seen in western Europe since the Second World War, were equal political, social and economic rights. The outcome was potentially a stable balance of power between the two communities underpinned by a legal system, and a means to enforce it, that created a legal non-violent means to redress grievances, prevent discrimination and provide equal justice for all.
Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures
The role of European courts as the ultimate decision makers in equality and human rights legislation may feel like an undemocratic intrusion to many in the UK. Why should we obey the European Convention on Human Rights or the Charter of Fundamental Rights when we have our own traditional homegrown British liberties?
But in Northern Ireland such liberties were never available to a large part of the population living in what one British newspaper in 1968 called “John Bull’s political slum”. The police behaved like a violent sectarian militia and all aspects of political, social and economic life were tainted by discrimination. For victims of this system, a decisive role from European courts was an essential guarantee of equal citizenship under the law.
It is this network of laws under an independent non-partisan EU authority that is now under threat from Brexit. The danger is made clear by Michael Farrell, a solicitor and one of the original leaders of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland in 1968-69, writing in The Irish Times.
He argues that “the UK Withdrawal Act, passed by Westminster during the summer, proposes to end the role of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU Court of Justice just as soon as the UK leaves the EU. And, although the act proposes to retain most existing EU laws intact, British government ministers will have the power to repeal any of those laws that they don’t like, without consulting parliament.”
In seeking a Brexit agreement, Theresa May and her government have been glibly assuring everybody that nothing is going to change the laws as applied in Northern Ireland. Farrell points out that “a joint report signed by May and Michel Barnier last December promised that there would be no diminution of human rights and equality protections in Northern Ireland as a result of Brexit. But when the EU negotiators tried to put this in binding legal language last March, the UK rejected it.”
Brexit casualties
This is an ominous precedent for a post-Brexit future in which the essential legal underpinnings of the Good Friday Agreement are being steadily eroded. Plenty of Brexiteers believe that the priority is to get out of the EU and, once that is achieved, any assurances given along the way can be safely ignored. The EU may also lose interest in what happens in Northern Ireland in a final furore over Brexit negotiations.
How likely is this to happen? Why should a British government saw through the branch on which it is sitting in Northern Ireland, by once again destabilising relations between the two communities? Bringing an end to the conflict there was one of the few undoubted successes of the British state in recent decades.
Unfortunately, it is all too likely to happen since the May government has already put its own interests far ahead of the damage it does to peace in Northern Ireland. It did so in 2017 when May reached an agreement with Arlene Foster and the Democratic Unionist Party to provide the votes in parliament which keep her in power. At one stroke, she ended the British government’s neutrality between nationalists and unionists declared in 1991. This had enabled it to present itself as fair interlocutor when negotiating with nationalists, unionists and the Dublin government.
The DUP now determines the very existence of the May government at a time when the Conservatives are desperate to avoid a general election because Jeremy Corbyn and Labour might win it. There has been no executive and assembly in Northern Ireland for 19 months. The institutions of power sharing are being marginalised and the overall balance of power is being skewed towards the unionist community and their representatives.
Rees-Mogg calls for Irish border inspections as ‘during the Troubles’
This slide backwards into a permanent crisis in Northern Ireland will very likely accelerate. There is a return to the self-defeating ineptitude of British policy in Northern Ireland in the 20 years after those first civil rights marches in 1968 and 1969. Unionist politicians had treated slogans like “one man, one vote”, an end to gerrymandering, fair allocation of jobs and houses, and repeal of the Special Powers Act as revolutionary demands. Peaceful civil rights marchers were denounced as cats paws of the IRA, solely inspired by an Irish nationalist agenda, seeking to overthrow the state.
It was a self-fulfilling response. I was living in Belfast between 1972 and 1975 and it was extraordinary to watch the way in which the British government and army acted as the recruiting sergeants of the Provisional IRA. It took at least 20 years for governments to take on board that peace could be restored within the boundaries of the Northern Ireland state, but only if that state played fair, guaranteed equal rights in every sphere of life, and was not an oppressive instrument of one community.
As with any topic relating to Brexit, useful analysis is blurred by discussing political issues in economic terms. Certainly, any attempt to restore an economic frontier along the 310-mile border with its estimated 200 crossing points would face resistance and could only be implemented – and even then ineffectually – by police and army in fortified positions. Inability to close the border and control border areas was a persistent British military weakness during the whole course of the Troubles.
The British government is removing essential building blocks of the Good Friday Agreement of which the nature of the border is only one element. It has most crucially abandoned its own neutrality between unionists and nationalists and is threatening the legal guarantees to civil rights and equality given authority by the role of the EU. Without anybody paying much attention, the toxic ingredients that were the original cause of the Troubles 50 years ago are being reconstituted.
Opinion: If the Troubles return after Brexit, it won't just be because of the Irish border issue
The British government is removing essential building blocks of the Good Friday Agreement such as human rights and a non-partisan position between unionists and nationalists
Michel Barnier says 'operational backstop solution' for Irish border is essential
A dangerous lack of understanding about the nature of the threat that Brexit poses to peace in Northern Ireland is based on a misconception about the causes of the 30-year-long Troubles that ended with the Good Friday Agreement.
The conflict was never primarily about the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, but about the civil and economic rights of the Roman Catholic minority in the north in relation to the Protestant majority. It was the civil rights march in Derry on 5 October 1968, a protest which was brutally attacked by the police in front of the television cameras, which was the crucial moment in the rise of peaceful opposition to a one-party unionist state. When this failed to achieve its ends, the door was opened to violence and the rise of the Provisional IRA.
At the heart of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which finally ended the most ferocious guerrilla war seen in western Europe since the Second World War, were equal political, social and economic rights. The outcome was potentially a stable balance of power between the two communities underpinned by a legal system, and a means to enforce it, that created a legal non-violent means to redress grievances, prevent discrimination and provide equal justice for all.
Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures
The role of European courts as the ultimate decision makers in equality and human rights legislation may feel like an undemocratic intrusion to many in the UK. Why should we obey the European Convention on Human Rights or the Charter of Fundamental Rights when we have our own traditional homegrown British liberties?
But in Northern Ireland such liberties were never available to a large part of the population living in what one British newspaper in 1968 called “John Bull’s political slum”. The police behaved like a violent sectarian militia and all aspects of political, social and economic life were tainted by discrimination. For victims of this system, a decisive role from European courts was an essential guarantee of equal citizenship under the law.
It is this network of laws under an independent non-partisan EU authority that is now under threat from Brexit. The danger is made clear by Michael Farrell, a solicitor and one of the original leaders of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland in 1968-69, writing in The Irish Times.
He argues that “the UK Withdrawal Act, passed by Westminster during the summer, proposes to end the role of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU Court of Justice just as soon as the UK leaves the EU. And, although the act proposes to retain most existing EU laws intact, British government ministers will have the power to repeal any of those laws that they don’t like, without consulting parliament.”
In seeking a Brexit agreement, Theresa May and her government have been glibly assuring everybody that nothing is going to change the laws as applied in Northern Ireland. Farrell points out that “a joint report signed by May and Michel Barnier last December promised that there would be no diminution of human rights and equality protections in Northern Ireland as a result of Brexit. But when the EU negotiators tried to put this in binding legal language last March, the UK rejected it.”
Brexit casualties
This is an ominous precedent for a post-Brexit future in which the essential legal underpinnings of the Good Friday Agreement are being steadily eroded. Plenty of Brexiteers believe that the priority is to get out of the EU and, once that is achieved, any assurances given along the way can be safely ignored. The EU may also lose interest in what happens in Northern Ireland in a final furore over Brexit negotiations.
How likely is this to happen? Why should a British government saw through the branch on which it is sitting in Northern Ireland, by once again destabilising relations between the two communities? Bringing an end to the conflict there was one of the few undoubted successes of the British state in recent decades.
Unfortunately, it is all too likely to happen since the May government has already put its own interests far ahead of the damage it does to peace in Northern Ireland. It did so in 2017 when May reached an agreement with Arlene Foster and the Democratic Unionist Party to provide the votes in parliament which keep her in power. At one stroke, she ended the British government’s neutrality between nationalists and unionists declared in 1991. This had enabled it to present itself as fair interlocutor when negotiating with nationalists, unionists and the Dublin government.
The DUP now determines the very existence of the May government at a time when the Conservatives are desperate to avoid a general election because Jeremy Corbyn and Labour might win it. There has been no executive and assembly in Northern Ireland for 19 months. The institutions of power sharing are being marginalised and the overall balance of power is being skewed towards the unionist community and their representatives.
Rees-Mogg calls for Irish border inspections as ‘during the Troubles’
This slide backwards into a permanent crisis in Northern Ireland will very likely accelerate. There is a return to the self-defeating ineptitude of British policy in Northern Ireland in the 20 years after those first civil rights marches in 1968 and 1969. Unionist politicians had treated slogans like “one man, one vote”, an end to gerrymandering, fair allocation of jobs and houses, and repeal of the Special Powers Act as revolutionary demands. Peaceful civil rights marchers were denounced as cats paws of the IRA, solely inspired by an Irish nationalist agenda, seeking to overthrow the state.
It was a self-fulfilling response. I was living in Belfast between 1972 and 1975 and it was extraordinary to watch the way in which the British government and army acted as the recruiting sergeants of the Provisional IRA. It took at least 20 years for governments to take on board that peace could be restored within the boundaries of the Northern Ireland state, but only if that state played fair, guaranteed equal rights in every sphere of life, and was not an oppressive instrument of one community.
As with any topic relating to Brexit, useful analysis is blurred by discussing political issues in economic terms. Certainly, any attempt to restore an economic frontier along the 310-mile border with its estimated 200 crossing points would face resistance and could only be implemented – and even then ineffectually – by police and army in fortified positions. Inability to close the border and control border areas was a persistent British military weakness during the whole course of the Troubles.
The British government is removing essential building blocks of the Good Friday Agreement of which the nature of the border is only one element. It has most crucially abandoned its own neutrality between unionists and nationalists and is threatening the legal guarantees to civil rights and equality given authority by the role of the EU. Without anybody paying much attention, the toxic ingredients that were the original cause of the Troubles 50 years ago are being reconstituted.
Opinion: If the Troubles return after Brexit, it won't just be because of the Irish border issue
Therese May is now going to lend money to the Africans to do business with the UK - hoping to fill the void left with the potential of no deal with Europe. Wonder if this dance will encourage new business venture.....
That was cringy
South Africa trip by Teresa May is interesting. Teresa May also supported the SA policy of `Land confiscation without compensation` from white south Africans (Which I think is unfair). If I remember correctly, UK imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in similar situation and endorsed similar policy by SA!!. It shows how desperate position UK is now and they need SA support very badly.
Or may be UK doesn't care about the south Africa land issue since white South Africans are mostly Dutch origin compared to Zimbabwean white community which was mostly English origin. Sad situation.
Exaggerated crap and nobody mentions that Martin McGuinness caused the Good Friday slaughter by firing an SMG at the British troops during the march. It was a deliberate propaganda ploy that unfortunately worked. It was the IRA that caused the sectarian divide and I'm saying that having been raised as a Roman Catholic (don't really believe in religion anymore).If the Troubles return after Brexit, it won't just be because of the Irish border issue
The British government is removing essential building blocks of the Good Friday Agreement such as human rights and a non-partisan position between unionists and nationalists
Michel Barnier says 'operational backstop solution' for Irish border is essential
A dangerous lack of understanding about the nature of the threat that Brexit poses to peace in Northern Ireland is based on a misconception about the causes of the 30-year-long Troubles that ended with the Good Friday Agreement.
The conflict was never primarily about the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, but about the civil and economic rights of the Roman Catholic minority in the north in relation to the Protestant majority. It was the civil rights march in Derry on 5 October 1968, a protest which was brutally attacked by the police in front of the television cameras, which was the crucial moment in the rise of peaceful opposition to a one-party unionist state. When this failed to achieve its ends, the door was opened to violence and the rise of the Provisional IRA.
At the heart of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which finally ended the most ferocious guerrilla war seen in western Europe since the Second World War, were equal political, social and economic rights. The outcome was potentially a stable balance of power between the two communities underpinned by a legal system, and a means to enforce it, that created a legal non-violent means to redress grievances, prevent discrimination and provide equal justice for all.
Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures
The role of European courts as the ultimate decision makers in equality and human rights legislation may feel like an undemocratic intrusion to many in the UK. Why should we obey the European Convention on Human Rights or the Charter of Fundamental Rights when we have our own traditional homegrown British liberties?
But in Northern Ireland such liberties were never available to a large part of the population living in what one British newspaper in 1968 called “John Bull’s political slum”. The police behaved like a violent sectarian militia and all aspects of political, social and economic life were tainted by discrimination. For victims of this system, a decisive role from European courts was an essential guarantee of equal citizenship under the law.
It is this network of laws under an independent non-partisan EU authority that is now under threat from Brexit. The danger is made clear by Michael Farrell, a solicitor and one of the original leaders of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland in 1968-69, writing in The Irish Times.
He argues that “the UK Withdrawal Act, passed by Westminster during the summer, proposes to end the role of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU Court of Justice just as soon as the UK leaves the EU. And, although the act proposes to retain most existing EU laws intact, British government ministers will have the power to repeal any of those laws that they don’t like, without consulting parliament.”
In seeking a Brexit agreement, Theresa May and her government have been glibly assuring everybody that nothing is going to change the laws as applied in Northern Ireland. Farrell points out that “a joint report signed by May and Michel Barnier last December promised that there would be no diminution of human rights and equality protections in Northern Ireland as a result of Brexit. But when the EU negotiators tried to put this in binding legal language last March, the UK rejected it.”
Brexit casualties
This is an ominous precedent for a post-Brexit future in which the essential legal underpinnings of the Good Friday Agreement are being steadily eroded. Plenty of Brexiteers believe that the priority is to get out of the EU and, once that is achieved, any assurances given along the way can be safely ignored. The EU may also lose interest in what happens in Northern Ireland in a final furore over Brexit negotiations.
How likely is this to happen? Why should a British government saw through the branch on which it is sitting in Northern Ireland, by once again destabilising relations between the two communities? Bringing an end to the conflict there was one of the few undoubted successes of the British state in recent decades.
Unfortunately, it is all too likely to happen since the May government has already put its own interests far ahead of the damage it does to peace in Northern Ireland. It did so in 2017 when May reached an agreement with Arlene Foster and the Democratic Unionist Party to provide the votes in parliament which keep her in power. At one stroke, she ended the British government’s neutrality between nationalists and unionists declared in 1991. This had enabled it to present itself as fair interlocutor when negotiating with nationalists, unionists and the Dublin government.
The DUP now determines the very existence of the May government at a time when the Conservatives are desperate to avoid a general election because Jeremy Corbyn and Labour might win it. There has been no executive and assembly in Northern Ireland for 19 months. The institutions of power sharing are being marginalised and the overall balance of power is being skewed towards the unionist community and their representatives.
Rees-Mogg calls for Irish border inspections as ‘during the Troubles’
This slide backwards into a permanent crisis in Northern Ireland will very likely accelerate. There is a return to the self-defeating ineptitude of British policy in Northern Ireland in the 20 years after those first civil rights marches in 1968 and 1969. Unionist politicians had treated slogans like “one man, one vote”, an end to gerrymandering, fair allocation of jobs and houses, and repeal of the Special Powers Act as revolutionary demands. Peaceful civil rights marchers were denounced as cats paws of the IRA, solely inspired by an Irish nationalist agenda, seeking to overthrow the state.
It was a self-fulfilling response. I was living in Belfast between 1972 and 1975 and it was extraordinary to watch the way in which the British government and army acted as the recruiting sergeants of the Provisional IRA. It took at least 20 years for governments to take on board that peace could be restored within the boundaries of the Northern Ireland state, but only if that state played fair, guaranteed equal rights in every sphere of life, and was not an oppressive instrument of one community.
As with any topic relating to Brexit, useful analysis is blurred by discussing political issues in economic terms. Certainly, any attempt to restore an economic frontier along the 310-mile border with its estimated 200 crossing points would face resistance and could only be implemented – and even then ineffectually – by police and army in fortified positions. Inability to close the border and control border areas was a persistent British military weakness during the whole course of the Troubles.
The British government is removing essential building blocks of the Good Friday Agreement of which the nature of the border is only one element. It has most crucially abandoned its own neutrality between unionists and nationalists and is threatening the legal guarantees to civil rights and equality given authority by the role of the EU. Without anybody paying much attention, the toxic ingredients that were the original cause of the Troubles 50 years ago are being reconstituted.
Opinion: If the Troubles return after Brexit, it won't just be because of the Irish border issue
There will be no changes to existing rights in NI following Brexit, nor is there any need for border. Whether the EU imposes one is a matter for them and their conscience, or lack thereof.
Nope, she supported it if it was done legally, which would include compensation. I don't think it's a great idea anyway because farming is best done by experienced farmers (as they will find later on) but unfortunately mandatory land purchases are a reality even in a democracy and have happened in the UK in the case of major road and rail links.That was cringy
South Africa trip by Teresa May is interesting. Teresa May also supported the SA policy of `Land confiscation without compensation` from white south Africans (Which I think is unfair).
She supported it "if it is done through a democratic process and legally". South African parliament is planning to change constitution to confiscate land without compensation. Ie, through a democratic process and legally, lol
Again, white South Africans reserved 87% land for themselves when they were in power. So, land reform is justified, but without providing some sort of compensation is going to create humanitarian issues.
Without compensation it wouldn't be legal and won't be supported. It's a bad move with or without compensation though.
I'd be more worried about the consequences of the land being managed by incompetent morons post-seizure a la Zimbabwe.
Are you some sort of bot - and have this standard response for something you dont like?
Brexit is going to shaft the UK - you need to stop sweeping it under the carpet.
Britain loses medicines contracts as EU body anticipates Brexit
Is this exaggerated crap too?
That is because we are still in the EU right now, which is allowing them to hurt us with no response. After we leave, you will see our response and subsequent gains as we tariff all their exports to us. These current moves are helping ensure we never return, so good.
If the parliament passes a law making it legal, then there is nothing illegal about it. It is the sovereign territory of south Africa and they make laws in their country.
Zimbabwe economy was mainly crippled by Sanctions lack of capital availability, not by less agricultural productivity. Agricultural productivity decreased, but its effect was minimal.
BREXIT LIVE: Corbyn under pressure to back SECOND VOTE - Remainers gloat 'IT'S HAPPENING'
PRESSURE is mounting on Jeremy Corbyn to support a second Brexit referendum after one of the UK’s biggest trade unions threw its weight behind the idea today.
Tim Roache, general secretary of the hugely influential GMB union, said the public should be given a say on the final deal because “promises that were made during the referendum campaign are simply not the reality we are facing”.
In response to the announcement, outspoken Remainer Anna Soubry said just 16 of her fellow Tories could force a second Brexit referendum if Labour bows to growing pressure and backs the People's Vote campaign.
Support for the public to have a say on the final deal has grown in recent months, but Theresa May has ruled out the possibility of her Government allowing a fresh vote and branded the idea a “gross betrayal” of democracy.
Meanwhile, a new poll released today revealed most voters in marginal Tory seats believe the Prime Minister's Brexit plans would be “bad for Britain”.
The survey, commissioned by pro-Brexit campaign group Global Britain, suggested Mrs May would need to drop her unpopular Chequers deal to avoid certain defeat at the next election.
The poll was carried out in the 44 most marginal Conservative Party constituencies.
It found 45 percent of voters in those marginal areas believe Brexit and the EU is the most important issue on the political agenda, compared with 17 per cent who believe the NHS is the most important and seven percent the economy.
Overall, 73 percent of voters are dissatisfied with the way the Government has handled the Brexit negotiations.
The poll also found that 45 percent of voters believe the Chequers Deal is bad for their family compared to 19 per cent who think it is good, while 47 percent believe the proposals would mean staying in the EU in all but name.
Nearly a third of voters said Mrs May’s proposals would make them less likely to support the incumbent MP, while 19 per cent say it would make them more likely to give their backing.
The telephone poll was conducted by market research firm IQR which questioned 22,000 voters in 44 Conservative marginal seats with majorities 6 percent or less.
Take a look back at all of today's Brexit news from Express.co.uk's live blog:
Brexit news: Pressure is growing on Labour to back a second referendum (Image: GETTY)
10.30pm: Brexit news roundup
The Green Party's new leaders say they are the 'antidote to Ukip' (Image: PA)
9.20pm: ‘We are the antidote to Ukip’, new Green Party leaders declare
The Green Party’s two new leaders have insisted they will stand up for the rights of refugees and migrants in post-Brexit Britain by providing what they described as an “antidote to Ukip”.
Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry revealed their ambitions to steer the Greens to become the UK’s “third political party” after being elected to their new posts today.
The party is in favour of a second referendum on Brexit that would offer the public the option of remaining in the European Union.
Mr Bartley and Ms Berry launched a scathing attacking on pro-Brexit nationalists, saying: "We are the antidote to Ukip, shifting the debate in the right direction, standing up unequivocally for refugees and migrants, saying we need to be a welcoming country.
"The vacuous old-school centrism is not going to deliver that."
And they accused Labour of "hand-wringing" over Brexit and said Jeremy Corbyn’s party has "no real clear sense of direction for the country" on issues including HS2, nuclear power, nuclear weapons and voting reform to a proportional representation system.
SNP MPs have warned Brexit will trigger a repeat of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum (Image: GETTY IMAGES)
8.30pm: Expect a SECOND Scottish independence referendum within 12 months, SNP warns
Brexit will lead to another vote on Scottish independence, SNP MPs have told the House of Commons.
The Government’s “scorched earth” policy in negotiations with Brussels will force a referendum within a year, Angus MacNeil said.
The Western Isles MP said: "It's one of the reasons Scotland will decide on its independence within the next year.”
His comments came as Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the progress of exit talks with the EU.
Joanna Cherry also warned the Prime Minister would lose Scotland if she continued on the current path.
Addressing the Brexit Secretary, the Edinburgh South West MP said: "An opinion poll conducted by Best for Britain showed a majority of Scots favour independence if the UK leaves the EU as planned.
"Is that a risk the minister is willing to take?"
Mr Raab dismissed claims of a second referendum as evidence of an "SNP obsession" with independence.
He said: ”I notice the way he always brings any matter relating to Brexit down to the blinkered, narrow political obsession the SNP has with a referendum on independence.”
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer warned negotiations are 'in trouble' (Image: SKY NEWS)
7pm: Irish peace process ‘being used to stop Brexit’
The issue of the Irish border is being used by some to "either thwart Brexit or to mould it in their own way", the DUP's Westminster leader has warned.
Nigel Dodds warned any backstop agreement which created regulatory differences between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK "would constitutionally break up the UK".
Speaking after Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the progress of the talks with Brussels, Mr Dodds said: “I wish sometimes people would actually travel the road from Belfast to Dublin and Dublin to Belfast because they actually pass on the border camera infrastructure already.
"And as the former secretary of state for Northern Ireland (Owen Paterson) said there already is a currency, excise and other border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic."
5.30pm: ’Brexit negotiations are in serious trouble’
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at the Government’s plans and suggested ministers will not have the votes in Parliament to pass a deal based on Theresa May’s unpopular Chequers proposal.
Speaking in the Commons, Sir Keir labelled the Prime Minister’s Brexit blueprint a “fudge” which satisfies no-one.
He said: “It’s being attacked from all quarters. Something has to give.
“Time is running out. The October summit is 44 days away.
“It is impossible to see how the Chequers proposal could lead to a deal which could command a majority in Parliament in that time.
“The Brexit negotiations are in serious trouble.
“It appears that the Government’s strategy is to plough on regardless, to pretend everything’s going to plan, to hope that somehow the dynamics of the negotiations and the arithmetic in this house is going to magically change. That is incredibly irresponsible.”
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has insisted a deal with the EU is the most likely outcome (Image: SKY NEWS)
5.10pm: Dominic Raab updates MPs on progress of Brexit talks - 'deal is within our sights'
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has insisted a deal based on the Prime Minister's unpopular Chequers agreement is the most likely outcome from the ongoing talks with Brussels.
Updating MPs on the progress of the negotiations, he said the EU had offered a “wide range of positive and constructive” feedback on the Prime Minister’s controversial deal.
Said he believes no deal is unlikely but insisted the Government is making adequate plans in case the UK leaves the EU without an agreement in place.
He said: “I am confident that a deal is within our grasp if our enthusiasm and pragmatism is matched by our EU friends.”
Mr Raab added a deal in the “clear and overwhelming interest of both sides” is still the most likely outcome if talks continue in their current spirit.
He acknowledged there are “some risks” to a no deal scenario, but insisted it would bring some “countervailing opportunities” such as the possibility to strike free international trade deals and provide more control over immigration.
BREXIT LIVE: Corbyn under pressure to back SECOND VOTE - Remainers gloat 'IT'S HAPPENING'
Looks like we are going to see an Independent Scotland very soon. I remember the old referendum campaign by the remainer fraction and one of the main reason they cited for remain in UK was that an Independent Scotland won't be allowed in European Union. Even if you look at the Brexit vote, you can see majority of Scotts supported EU and opposed an exit.
PRESSURE is mounting on Jeremy Corbyn to support a second Brexit referendum after one of the UK’s biggest trade unions threw its weight behind the idea today.
Tim Roache, general secretary of the hugely influential GMB union, said the public should be given a say on the final deal because “promises that were made during the referendum campaign are simply not the reality we are facing”.
In response to the announcement, outspoken Remainer Anna Soubry said just 16 of her fellow Tories could force a second Brexit referendum if Labour bows to growing pressure and backs the People's Vote campaign.
Support for the public to have a say on the final deal has grown in recent months, but Theresa May has ruled out the possibility of her Government allowing a fresh vote and branded the idea a “gross betrayal” of democracy.
Meanwhile, a new poll released today revealed most voters in marginal Tory seats believe the Prime Minister's Brexit plans would be “bad for Britain”.
The survey, commissioned by pro-Brexit campaign group Global Britain, suggested Mrs May would need to drop her unpopular Chequers deal to avoid certain defeat at the next election.
The poll was carried out in the 44 most marginal Conservative Party constituencies.
It found 45 percent of voters in those marginal areas believe Brexit and the EU is the most important issue on the political agenda, compared with 17 per cent who believe the NHS is the most important and seven percent the economy.
Overall, 73 percent of voters are dissatisfied with the way the Government has handled the Brexit negotiations.
The poll also found that 45 percent of voters believe the Chequers Deal is bad for their family compared to 19 per cent who think it is good, while 47 percent believe the proposals would mean staying in the EU in all but name.
Nearly a third of voters said Mrs May’s proposals would make them less likely to support the incumbent MP, while 19 per cent say it would make them more likely to give their backing.
The telephone poll was conducted by market research firm IQR which questioned 22,000 voters in 44 Conservative marginal seats with majorities 6 percent or less.
Take a look back at all of today's Brexit news from Express.co.uk's live blog:
Brexit news: Pressure is growing on Labour to back a second referendum (Image: GETTY)
10.30pm: Brexit news roundup
- The GMB union, which represents nearly 640,000 workers, has declared its support for a vote on the final terms of a Brexit deal.
- Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the state of divorce talks with Brussels.
- Opponents of the Prime Minister’s Chequers proposals, including Tory MP Justine Greening, Conservative peer Lord Heseltine and Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer all warned the Government will not have the votes to get a Brexit deal based on Chequers terms through the Commons.
- Bank of England Governor Mark Carney warned of a “real income squeeze” on household incomes after Brexit.
The Green Party's new leaders say they are the 'antidote to Ukip' (Image: PA)
9.20pm: ‘We are the antidote to Ukip’, new Green Party leaders declare
The Green Party’s two new leaders have insisted they will stand up for the rights of refugees and migrants in post-Brexit Britain by providing what they described as an “antidote to Ukip”.
Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry revealed their ambitions to steer the Greens to become the UK’s “third political party” after being elected to their new posts today.
The party is in favour of a second referendum on Brexit that would offer the public the option of remaining in the European Union.
Mr Bartley and Ms Berry launched a scathing attacking on pro-Brexit nationalists, saying: "We are the antidote to Ukip, shifting the debate in the right direction, standing up unequivocally for refugees and migrants, saying we need to be a welcoming country.
"The vacuous old-school centrism is not going to deliver that."
And they accused Labour of "hand-wringing" over Brexit and said Jeremy Corbyn’s party has "no real clear sense of direction for the country" on issues including HS2, nuclear power, nuclear weapons and voting reform to a proportional representation system.
SNP MPs have warned Brexit will trigger a repeat of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum (Image: GETTY IMAGES)
8.30pm: Expect a SECOND Scottish independence referendum within 12 months, SNP warns
Brexit will lead to another vote on Scottish independence, SNP MPs have told the House of Commons.
The Government’s “scorched earth” policy in negotiations with Brussels will force a referendum within a year, Angus MacNeil said.
The Western Isles MP said: "It's one of the reasons Scotland will decide on its independence within the next year.”
His comments came as Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the progress of exit talks with the EU.
Joanna Cherry also warned the Prime Minister would lose Scotland if she continued on the current path.
Addressing the Brexit Secretary, the Edinburgh South West MP said: "An opinion poll conducted by Best for Britain showed a majority of Scots favour independence if the UK leaves the EU as planned.
"Is that a risk the minister is willing to take?"
Mr Raab dismissed claims of a second referendum as evidence of an "SNP obsession" with independence.
He said: ”I notice the way he always brings any matter relating to Brexit down to the blinkered, narrow political obsession the SNP has with a referendum on independence.”
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer warned negotiations are 'in trouble' (Image: SKY NEWS)
7pm: Irish peace process ‘being used to stop Brexit’
The issue of the Irish border is being used by some to "either thwart Brexit or to mould it in their own way", the DUP's Westminster leader has warned.
Nigel Dodds warned any backstop agreement which created regulatory differences between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK "would constitutionally break up the UK".
Speaking after Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the progress of the talks with Brussels, Mr Dodds said: “I wish sometimes people would actually travel the road from Belfast to Dublin and Dublin to Belfast because they actually pass on the border camera infrastructure already.
"And as the former secretary of state for Northern Ireland (Owen Paterson) said there already is a currency, excise and other border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic."
5.30pm: ’Brexit negotiations are in serious trouble’
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at the Government’s plans and suggested ministers will not have the votes in Parliament to pass a deal based on Theresa May’s unpopular Chequers proposal.
Speaking in the Commons, Sir Keir labelled the Prime Minister’s Brexit blueprint a “fudge” which satisfies no-one.
He said: “It’s being attacked from all quarters. Something has to give.
“Time is running out. The October summit is 44 days away.
“It is impossible to see how the Chequers proposal could lead to a deal which could command a majority in Parliament in that time.
“The Brexit negotiations are in serious trouble.
“It appears that the Government’s strategy is to plough on regardless, to pretend everything’s going to plan, to hope that somehow the dynamics of the negotiations and the arithmetic in this house is going to magically change. That is incredibly irresponsible.”
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has insisted a deal with the EU is the most likely outcome (Image: SKY NEWS)
5.10pm: Dominic Raab updates MPs on progress of Brexit talks - 'deal is within our sights'
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has insisted a deal based on the Prime Minister's unpopular Chequers agreement is the most likely outcome from the ongoing talks with Brussels.
Updating MPs on the progress of the negotiations, he said the EU had offered a “wide range of positive and constructive” feedback on the Prime Minister’s controversial deal.
Said he believes no deal is unlikely but insisted the Government is making adequate plans in case the UK leaves the EU without an agreement in place.
He said: “I am confident that a deal is within our grasp if our enthusiasm and pragmatism is matched by our EU friends.”
Mr Raab added a deal in the “clear and overwhelming interest of both sides” is still the most likely outcome if talks continue in their current spirit.
He acknowledged there are “some risks” to a no deal scenario, but insisted it would bring some “countervailing opportunities” such as the possibility to strike free international trade deals and provide more control over immigration.
BREXIT LIVE: Corbyn under pressure to back SECOND VOTE - Remainers gloat 'IT'S HAPPENING'
Looks like we are going to see an Independent Scotland very soon. I remember the old referendum campaign by the remainer fraction and one of the main reason they cited for remain in UK was that an Independent Scotland won't be allowed in European Union. Even if you look at the Brexit vote, you can see majority of Scotts supported EU and opposed an exit.
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Is this guy also talking nonsense? On a daily basis people are suggesting Brexit is being poorly delivered and you continue walking off the cliff ..
Brexit approach incompetent - Lord King
How does the take-off and landing platform affect mid-air collisions, spatial disorientation of the pilot, mid-air refuelling and crashing into the hard deck during a dog-fight with a Hornet?
Eg- A standard RAF pilot assumes that the tornado is the best fighter jet in the world because he has been brought up to believe so. And then decides to engage the F22........or maybe even the Mig 21......
BREXIT LIVE: Corbyn under pressure to back SECOND VOTE - Remainers gloat 'IT'S HAPPENING'
PRESSURE is mounting on Jeremy Corbyn to support a second Brexit referendum after one of the UK’s biggest trade unions threw its weight behind the idea today.
Tim Roache, general secretary of the hugely influential GMB union, said the public should be given a say on the final deal because “promises that were made during the referendum campaign are simply not the reality we are facing”.
In response to the announcement, outspoken Remainer Anna Soubry said just 16 of her fellow Tories could force a second Brexit referendum if Labour bows to growing pressure and backs the People's Vote campaign.
Support for the public to have a say on the final deal has grown in recent months, but Theresa May has ruled out the possibility of her Government allowing a fresh vote and branded the idea a “gross betrayal” of democracy.
Meanwhile, a new poll released today revealed most voters in marginal Tory seats believe the Prime Minister's Brexit plans would be “bad for Britain”.
The survey, commissioned by pro-Brexit campaign group Global Britain, suggested Mrs May would need to drop her unpopular Chequers deal to avoid certain defeat at the next election.
The poll was carried out in the 44 most marginal Conservative Party constituencies.
It found 45 percent of voters in those marginal areas believe Brexit and the EU is the most important issue on the political agenda, compared with 17 per cent who believe the NHS is the most important and seven percent the economy.
Overall, 73 percent of voters are dissatisfied with the way the Government has handled the Brexit negotiations.
The poll also found that 45 percent of voters believe the Chequers Deal is bad for their family compared to 19 per cent who think it is good, while 47 percent believe the proposals would mean staying in the EU in all but name.
Nearly a third of voters said Mrs May’s proposals would make them less likely to support the incumbent MP, while 19 per cent say it would make them more likely to give their backing.
The telephone poll was conducted by market research firm IQR which questioned 22,000 voters in 44 Conservative marginal seats with majorities 6 percent or less.
Take a look back at all of today's Brexit news from Express.co.uk's live blog:
Brexit news: Pressure is growing on Labour to back a second referendum (Image: GETTY)
10.30pm: Brexit news roundup
He said a mutually beneficial deal between the UK and EU is “within our sights” but acknowledged a no deal scenario, while unlikely, would bring some “countervailing opportunities”.
- The GMB union, which represents nearly 640,000 workers, has declared its support for a vote on the final terms of a Brexit deal.
- Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the state of divorce talks with Brussels.
He also hinted he would stay in his post beyond his scheduled departure date in June 2019 to ensure a smooth transition out of the EU.
- Opponents of the Prime Minister’s Chequers proposals, including Tory MP Justine Greening, Conservative peer Lord Heseltine and Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer all warned the Government will not have the votes to get a Brexit deal based on Chequers terms through the Commons.
- Bank of England Governor Mark Carney warned of a “real income squeeze” on household incomes after Brexit.
The Green Party's new leaders say they are the 'antidote to Ukip' (Image: PA)
9.20pm: ‘We are the antidote to Ukip’, new Green Party leaders declare
The Green Party’s two new leaders have insisted they will stand up for the rights of refugees and migrants in post-Brexit Britain by providing what they described as an “antidote to Ukip”.
Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry revealed their ambitions to steer the Greens to become the UK’s “third political party” after being elected to their new posts today.
The party is in favour of a second referendum on Brexit that would offer the public the option of remaining in the European Union.
Mr Bartley and Ms Berry launched a scathing attacking on pro-Brexit nationalists, saying: "We are the antidote to Ukip, shifting the debate in the right direction, standing up unequivocally for refugees and migrants, saying we need to be a welcoming country.
"The vacuous old-school centrism is not going to deliver that."
And they accused Labour of "hand-wringing" over Brexit and said Jeremy Corbyn’s party has "no real clear sense of direction for the country" on issues including HS2, nuclear power, nuclear weapons and voting reform to a proportional representation system.
SNP MPs have warned Brexit will trigger a repeat of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum (Image: GETTY IMAGES)
8.30pm: Expect a SECOND Scottish independence referendum within 12 months, SNP warns
Brexit will lead to another vote on Scottish independence, SNP MPs have told the House of Commons.
The Government’s “scorched earth” policy in negotiations with Brussels will force a referendum within a year, Angus MacNeil said.
The Western Isles MP said: "It's one of the reasons Scotland will decide on its independence within the next year.”
His comments came as Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the progress of exit talks with the EU.
Joanna Cherry also warned the Prime Minister would lose Scotland if she continued on the current path.
Addressing the Brexit Secretary, the Edinburgh South West MP said: "An opinion poll conducted by Best for Britain showed a majority of Scots favour independence if the UK leaves the EU as planned.
"Is that a risk the minister is willing to take?"
Mr Raab dismissed claims of a second referendum as evidence of an "SNP obsession" with independence.
He said: ”I notice the way he always brings any matter relating to Brexit down to the blinkered, narrow political obsession the SNP has with a referendum on independence.”
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer warned negotiations are 'in trouble' (Image: SKY NEWS)
7pm: Irish peace process ‘being used to stop Brexit’
The issue of the Irish border is being used by some to "either thwart Brexit or to mould it in their own way", the DUP's Westminster leader has warned.
Nigel Dodds warned any backstop agreement which created regulatory differences between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK "would constitutionally break up the UK".
Speaking after Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the progress of the talks with Brussels, Mr Dodds said: “I wish sometimes people would actually travel the road from Belfast to Dublin and Dublin to Belfast because they actually pass on the border camera infrastructure already.
"And as the former secretary of state for Northern Ireland (Owen Paterson) said there already is a currency, excise and other border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic."
5.30pm: ’Brexit negotiations are in serious trouble’
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at the Government’s plans and suggested ministers will not have the votes in Parliament to pass a deal based on Theresa May’s unpopular Chequers proposal.
Speaking in the Commons, Sir Keir labelled the Prime Minister’s Brexit blueprint a “fudge” which satisfies no-one.
He said: “It’s being attacked from all quarters. Something has to give.
“Time is running out. The October summit is 44 days away.
“It is impossible to see how the Chequers proposal could lead to a deal which could command a majority in Parliament in that time.
“The Brexit negotiations are in serious trouble.
“It appears that the Government’s strategy is to plough on regardless, to pretend everything’s going to plan, to hope that somehow the dynamics of the negotiations and the arithmetic in this house is going to magically change. That is incredibly irresponsible.”
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has insisted a deal with the EU is the most likely outcome (Image: SKY NEWS)
5.10pm: Dominic Raab updates MPs on progress of Brexit talks - 'deal is within our sights'
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has insisted a deal based on the Prime Minister's unpopular Chequers agreement is the most likely outcome from the ongoing talks with Brussels.
Updating MPs on the progress of the negotiations, he said the EU had offered a “wide range of positive and constructive” feedback on the Prime Minister’s controversial deal.
Said he believes no deal is unlikely but insisted the Government is making adequate plans in case the UK leaves the EU without an agreement in place.
He said: “I am confident that a deal is within our grasp if our enthusiasm and pragmatism is matched by our EU friends.”
Mr Raab added a deal in the “clear and overwhelming interest of both sides” is still the most likely outcome if talks continue in their current spirit.
He acknowledged there are “some risks” to a no deal scenario, but insisted it would bring some “countervailing opportunities” such as the possibility to strike free international trade deals and provide more control over immigration.
BREXIT LIVE: Corbyn under pressure to back SECOND VOTE - Remainers gloat 'IT'S HAPPENING'
Looks like we are going to see an Independent Scotland very soon. I remember the old referendum campaign by the remainer fraction and one of the main reason they cited for remain in UK was that an Independent Scotland won't be allowed in European Union. Even if you look at the Brexit vote, you can see majority of Scotts supported EU and opposed an exit.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are international human rights laws against seizing land without compensation.
Nope, it was improper management and governance. Crops failed, coupled with massive inflation. Leader was an imbecile.
'Zim faces food shortages'
Zim denies food shortages as skyrocketing grocery prices sow panic
Understanding the food crisis in Zimbabwe | ENN
The SNP doesn't get t o call a referendum, UK Parliament does. Without that it would be just like the Catalonian one.BREXIT LIVE: Corbyn under pressure to back SECOND VOTE - Remainers gloat 'IT'S HAPPENING'
PRESSURE is mounting on Jeremy Corbyn to support a second Brexit referendum after one of the UK’s biggest trade unions threw its weight behind the idea today.
Tim Roache, general secretary of the hugely influential GMB union, said the public should be given a say on the final deal because “promises that were made during the referendum campaign are simply not the reality we are facing”.
In response to the announcement, outspoken Remainer Anna Soubry said just 16 of her fellow Tories could force a second Brexit referendum if Labour bows to growing pressure and backs the People's Vote campaign.
Support for the public to have a say on the final deal has grown in recent months, but Theresa May has ruled out the possibility of her Government allowing a fresh vote and branded the idea a “gross betrayal” of democracy.
Meanwhile, a new poll released today revealed most voters in marginal Tory seats believe the Prime Minister's Brexit plans would be “bad for Britain”.
The survey, commissioned by pro-Brexit campaign group Global Britain, suggested Mrs May would need to drop her unpopular Chequers deal to avoid certain defeat at the next election.
The poll was carried out in the 44 most marginal Conservative Party constituencies.
It found 45 percent of voters in those marginal areas believe Brexit and the EU is the most important issue on the political agenda, compared with 17 per cent who believe the NHS is the most important and seven percent the economy.
Overall, 73 percent of voters are dissatisfied with the way the Government has handled the Brexit negotiations.
The poll also found that 45 percent of voters believe the Chequers Deal is bad for their family compared to 19 per cent who think it is good, while 47 percent believe the proposals would mean staying in the EU in all but name.
Nearly a third of voters said Mrs May’s proposals would make them less likely to support the incumbent MP, while 19 per cent say it would make them more likely to give their backing.
The telephone poll was conducted by market research firm IQR which questioned 22,000 voters in 44 Conservative marginal seats with majorities 6 percent or less.
Take a look back at all of today's Brexit news from Express.co.uk's live blog:
Brexit news: Pressure is growing on Labour to back a second referendum (Image: GETTY)
10.30pm: Brexit news roundup
He said a mutually beneficial deal between the UK and EU is “within our sights” but acknowledged a no deal scenario, while unlikely, would bring some “countervailing opportunities”.
- The GMB union, which represents nearly 640,000 workers, has declared its support for a vote on the final terms of a Brexit deal.
- Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the state of divorce talks with Brussels.
He also hinted he would stay in his post beyond his scheduled departure date in June 2019 to ensure a smooth transition out of the EU.
- Opponents of the Prime Minister’s Chequers proposals, including Tory MP Justine Greening, Conservative peer Lord Heseltine and Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer all warned the Government will not have the votes to get a Brexit deal based on Chequers terms through the Commons.
- Bank of England Governor Mark Carney warned of a “real income squeeze” on household incomes after Brexit.
The Green Party's new leaders say they are the 'antidote to Ukip' (Image: PA)
9.20pm: ‘We are the antidote to Ukip’, new Green Party leaders declare
The Green Party’s two new leaders have insisted they will stand up for the rights of refugees and migrants in post-Brexit Britain by providing what they described as an “antidote to Ukip”.
Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry revealed their ambitions to steer the Greens to become the UK’s “third political party” after being elected to their new posts today.
The party is in favour of a second referendum on Brexit that would offer the public the option of remaining in the European Union.
Mr Bartley and Ms Berry launched a scathing attacking on pro-Brexit nationalists, saying: "We are the antidote to Ukip, shifting the debate in the right direction, standing up unequivocally for refugees and migrants, saying we need to be a welcoming country.
"The vacuous old-school centrism is not going to deliver that."
And they accused Labour of "hand-wringing" over Brexit and said Jeremy Corbyn’s party has "no real clear sense of direction for the country" on issues including HS2, nuclear power, nuclear weapons and voting reform to a proportional representation system.
SNP MPs have warned Brexit will trigger a repeat of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum (Image: GETTY IMAGES)
8.30pm: Expect a SECOND Scottish independence referendum within 12 months, SNP warns
Brexit will lead to another vote on Scottish independence, SNP MPs have told the House of Commons.
The Government’s “scorched earth” policy in negotiations with Brussels will force a referendum within a year, Angus MacNeil said.
The Western Isles MP said: "It's one of the reasons Scotland will decide on its independence within the next year.”
His comments came as Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the progress of exit talks with the EU.
Joanna Cherry also warned the Prime Minister would lose Scotland if she continued on the current path.
Addressing the Brexit Secretary, the Edinburgh South West MP said: "An opinion poll conducted by Best for Britain showed a majority of Scots favour independence if the UK leaves the EU as planned.
"Is that a risk the minister is willing to take?"
Mr Raab dismissed claims of a second referendum as evidence of an "SNP obsession" with independence.
He said: ”I notice the way he always brings any matter relating to Brexit down to the blinkered, narrow political obsession the SNP has with a referendum on independence.”
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer warned negotiations are 'in trouble' (Image: SKY NEWS)
7pm: Irish peace process ‘being used to stop Brexit’
The issue of the Irish border is being used by some to "either thwart Brexit or to mould it in their own way", the DUP's Westminster leader has warned.
Nigel Dodds warned any backstop agreement which created regulatory differences between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK "would constitutionally break up the UK".
Speaking after Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab updated MPs on the progress of the talks with Brussels, Mr Dodds said: “I wish sometimes people would actually travel the road from Belfast to Dublin and Dublin to Belfast because they actually pass on the border camera infrastructure already.
"And as the former secretary of state for Northern Ireland (Owen Paterson) said there already is a currency, excise and other border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic."
5.30pm: ’Brexit negotiations are in serious trouble’
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at the Government’s plans and suggested ministers will not have the votes in Parliament to pass a deal based on Theresa May’s unpopular Chequers proposal.
Speaking in the Commons, Sir Keir labelled the Prime Minister’s Brexit blueprint a “fudge” which satisfies no-one.
He said: “It’s being attacked from all quarters. Something has to give.
“Time is running out. The October summit is 44 days away.
“It is impossible to see how the Chequers proposal could lead to a deal which could command a majority in Parliament in that time.
“The Brexit negotiations are in serious trouble.
“It appears that the Government’s strategy is to plough on regardless, to pretend everything’s going to plan, to hope that somehow the dynamics of the negotiations and the arithmetic in this house is going to magically change. That is incredibly irresponsible.”
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has insisted a deal with the EU is the most likely outcome (Image: SKY NEWS)
5.10pm: Dominic Raab updates MPs on progress of Brexit talks - 'deal is within our sights'
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has insisted a deal based on the Prime Minister's unpopular Chequers agreement is the most likely outcome from the ongoing talks with Brussels.
Updating MPs on the progress of the negotiations, he said the EU had offered a “wide range of positive and constructive” feedback on the Prime Minister’s controversial deal.
Said he believes no deal is unlikely but insisted the Government is making adequate plans in case the UK leaves the EU without an agreement in place.
He said: “I am confident that a deal is within our grasp if our enthusiasm and pragmatism is matched by our EU friends.”
Mr Raab added a deal in the “clear and overwhelming interest of both sides” is still the most likely outcome if talks continue in their current spirit.
He acknowledged there are “some risks” to a no deal scenario, but insisted it would bring some “countervailing opportunities” such as the possibility to strike free international trade deals and provide more control over immigration.
BREXIT LIVE: Corbyn under pressure to back SECOND VOTE - Remainers gloat 'IT'S HAPPENING'
Looks like we are going to see an Independent Scotland very soon. I remember the old referendum campaign by the remainer fraction and one of the main reason they cited for remain in UK was that an Independent Scotland won't be allowed in European Union. Even if you look at the Brexit vote, you can see majority of Scotts supported EU and opposed an exit.
The main reason for Scotland staying in the UK is that an independent Scotland is insolvent.