Theresa May has arrived in Brussels and is set to urge European leaders to officially approve an agreement to move Brexit talks onto the second phase.
But it comes after the Prime Minister faced an embarrassing defeat in the Commons on Wednesday on the Government’s Brexit legislation.
Asked about the defeat, inflicted after 11 of her own MPs defied her instructions to oppose the amendment, Ms May said the result was “disappointing” but insisted the legislation was still making good progress in the Commons.
“I'm disappointed with the amendment but actually the EU Withdrawal Bill is making good progress through the House of Commons and we're on course to deliver on Brexit,” she told reporters in Brussels.
At a dinner later this evening with the leaders of the EU 27, the Prime Minister will repeat her case for moving the talks on to trade negotiations, which she sees as crucial to offering certainty for businesses.
They are all but certain to approve the deal to move to “phase two” on Friday, after Ms May has Brussels, launching a new stage of talks that could be hampered by divisions at home and differences with the EU.
This liveblog is now closed, but you can see all of today’s developments in Westminster and Brussels below.
Live Updates
Brexit should be cancelled, Austrian prime minister says
Austria’s prime minister has said he hopes that Brexit can be reversed, hours after British MPs voted to give themselves a veto on Theresa May’s final deal. Arriving at European Council summit in Brussels Christian Kern said Brexit would likely throw up problems that are “not easy to solve”.
These are the 11 Tory MPs who just defeated Theresa May's Government over Brexit
The IndependentEleven Conservative rebels helped to defeat Theresa May in a critical vote on its key piece of Brexit legislation. MPs amended the EU Withdrawal Bill against Theresa May's will, so guaranteeing Parliament a "meaningful" vote on any deal she agrees with Brussels.Here is the full transcript from the Prime Minister’s short conversation with the BBC in Brussels:
PM: Well first of all of course I'm here in Brussels today to talk with friends and allies about the threats and challenges we face not least issues around security. And we do face a number of threats across Europe. Those range from Daesh where although we've had military success against Daesh in Iraq it is still a threat to the ongoing and frankly unacceptable efforts by Russia to sow discord through misinformation. I'll also be talking about Brexit and talking about the ambitious and deep and special partnership that I want to build with the European Union in the future. And on the security issue, I'm very clear that although the British people took a sovereign decision to leave the EU that does not mean that we were going to be leaving our responsibilities in terms of European security. Now you asked about the vote that took place in the House of Commons last night. I'm disappointed with the amendment but actually the EU Withdrawal Bill is making good progress through the House of Commons and we're on course to deliver on Brexit. You remember last week, President Juncker said that's sufficient progress had been made to move on to phase two of our negotiations. Yesterday the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted to accept that recommendation too, and I'm looking forward to discussing our deep and special partnership for the future.
BBC: You are going to have problems in Parliament. Do you accept that as Prime Minister you are going to have to make more compromises not just with opposition parties but with your own side?
PM: WelI just look at the passage of the EU Withdrawal Bill so far as I say it has been making good progress through the House of Commons. We've actually had 36 votes on the EU Withdrawal Bill and we've won 35 of those votes with an average majority of 22. So the bill is making good progress, we're on course to deliver Brexit and we're on course to deliver on the vote of the British people.
BBC: Will you compromise now?
PM: We have won 35 of the last 36 votes on the EU Withdrawal Bill. It is making good progress in House of Commons and that means we are on course to deliver on the sovereign vote of the British people to leave the European Union and that's what we will be doing.
No Brexit renegotiation if MPs reject deal Theresa May gets, EU leader warns
The IndependentA European Union leader has warned that the UK will be unable to renegotiate a new Brexit deal if Parliament votes to reject the one struck by Theresa May next year. The suggestion that the UK could crash out without a deal if MPs refused to back what Ms May returns with comes after the Government lost a key vote in the House of Commons that saw Tory rebels team up with Labour to ensure MPs get a vote.
Tory former minister who rebelled against May warns she faces second defeat
Conservative ex-cabinet minister Dominic Grieve has said he does not care about “knives being out for me” over his role in forcing changes to Theresa May’s Brexit plans, as he warned the Prime Minister she faces a second defeat.
This major business leader says Theresa May 'confuses the hell' out of the EU
Theresa May, together with her Government, “confuses the hell” out of the European Union and needs to “get unified” if it wants to succeed in Brexit negotiations, according to the head of the UK’s main business association. The damning appraisal by Paul Drechsler, president of the Confederation of British Industry, came even before the stinging parliamentary defeat for the prime minister just as she’s about to face her EU counterparts in Brussels.
No Brexit renegotiation if MPs reject deal Theresa May gets, EU leader warns
A European Union leader has warned that the UK will be unable to renegotiate a new Brexit deal if Parliament votes to reject the one struck by Theresa May next year. The suggestion that the UK could crash out without a deal if MPs refused to back what Ms May returns with comes after the Government lost a key vote in the House of Commons that saw Tory rebels team up with Labour to ensure MPs get a vote.
Brexit should be cancelled, Austrian prime minister says
Austria’s prime minister has said he hopes that Brexit can be reversed, hours after British MPs voted to give themselves a veto on Theresa May’s final deal. Arriving at European Council summit in Brussels Christian Kern said Brexit would likely throw up problems that are “not easy to solve”.Arriving at the summit in Brussels, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there were "still a few questions remaining open" about the terms of the UK's withdrawal from the EU, but there was "a good chance that the second phase can now begin".
French President Emmanuel Macron said it was "not simply a council about Brexit", stressing that his focus was on issues of EU defence and migration policy being discussed on Thursday evening.
UK must accept EU laws to prevent 'dramatic and damaging' impact on economy after Brexit, MPs warn
A transition period after Brexit where the UK continues to accept EU rules would be a “price worth paying” for economic stability, an influential Commons committee has said. Cross-party MPs on the Treasury Committee said the Government should consent to a “standstill” transition deal with Brussels, which would likely include remaining in the single market and customs union, and accepting judgements from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) after Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019.
Tory former minister who rebelled against May warns she faces second defeat
Conservative ex-cabinet minister Dominic Grieve has said he does not care about “knives being out for me” over his role in forcing changes to Theresa May’s Brexit plans, as he warned the Prime Minister she faces a second defeat.
All you need to know about the Brexit bill's Amendment 7 and why it has just humiliated Theresa May
Theresa May’s government was handed a defeat on the Brexit bill as 11 MPs rebelled and backed an amendment to give Parliament a much greater say in leaving the European Union (EU). Amendment seven, tabled by the former attorney general Dominic Grieve, requires any Brexit deal to be approved by a separate Act of Parliament before it can be implemented.
High Court just ruled Government policy of deporting homeless EU citizens is illegal
The IndependentThe High Court has ordered the Government to stop deporting homeless EU citizens under a controversial policy that has been ruled unlawful. Mrs Justice Lang said measures introduced last year were discriminatory and violated European law, following a challenge by two Polish men and a Latvian. The three men were all facing removal because they were found by police and immigration officers sleeping rough.Speaking in the Dail on Thursday, he insisted that businesses need time to adapt to any new realities in the context of Brexit.
Watch the moment Theresa May was defeated by her own MPs in humiliating Brexit vote
The IndependentThis is the moment that the government lost its key vote on its Brexit bill after a rebellion by 11 Conservative MPs. In front of a packed House of Commons in the end the Government was defeated by 309 votes to 305, a margin of just four votes. Cheers erupted as the result was announced.
Tory former minister who rebelled against May warns she faces second defeat
Conservative ex-cabinet minister Dominic Grieve has said he does not care about “knives being out for me” over his role in forcing changes to Theresa May’s Brexit plans, as he warned the Prime Minister she faces a second defeat.
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