Good morning. Here’s your daily Politics Update.
Meaningful vote to take place on 14 January
MPs will have their ‘meaningful vote’ on Theresa May’s Brexit deal on 14 January, the prime minister confirmed on Monday, as she once again told the Commons that the only alternatives to her deal were no-deal or no Brexit.
May gave a statement on Monday, bringing MPs up to date on the latest Brexit developments, after a disappointing summit last week where EU leaders rejected the idea of providing legal assurances on the backstop.
The vote had originally been planned to take place on 11 December, but this was delayed by the government over fears that the deal would be voted down.
Addressing the delay, May said on Monday: “It is now only just over 14 weeks until the UK leaves the EU, and I know many members of this house are concerned that we need to take a decision soon.”
She added: “But I can confirm today that we intend to return to the meaningful vote debate in the week commencing 7 January, and hold the vote the following week.”
Corbyn tables vote of no confidence
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn made a strongly worded statement in the Commons on Monday, saying that he intended to table a vote of no confidence in the government, although his party has not officially tabled a binding vote.
Labour did not exercise their right to force a no-confidence vote in the government, leading the Conservatives to hit back, saying that Corbyn had ‘bottled it’ it the Commons.
Jeremy Corbyn had demanded a “vote of no confidence in the prime minister”, after the prime minister revealed that a delayed vote on her deal in the Commons would not take place until 14 January.
Corbyn said: said: “It’s bad – unacceptable – that we should be waiting almost a month before we have a meaningful vote on the crucial issue facing the future of this country,” a choice of words which condemns the government, but does not begin the process of tabling a vote of no confidence in the government.
Government increases no-deal planning, with £2bn extra funding
After recent uncertainty around Theresa May’s deal, the government is expected to step up planning for a no-deal Brexit, with an extra £2bn added to relevant departments at Whitehall.
Whilst cabinet ministers already receive regular updates on no-deal preparations, discussions on the issue are expected to dominate the schedule in the run-up to Christmas, as opposition to both May’s deal and the government’s Brexit strategy increases in the Commons.
A spokesman for the prime minister responded to reports of increased spending, saying that there would be an announcement “shortly”.
Brexit whitepaper will make no mention of immigration targets
Theresa May’s long-expected post-Brexit immigration plan will not make reference to Conservative manifesto pledge to reduce net migration down to “tens of thousands”.
Whilst the plans were expected to be included in the Brexit whitepaper, due for publication on Wednesday, the Independent reports that this will not include mentions of the immigration targets.
Whilst the manifesto pledge still exists, it appears that discussions between Theresa May and her cabinet continue, with no agreement yet reached on the best course of action. Many believe that the paper will not attempt to frame the post-Brexit immigration plan as ‘serving the needs of the UK economy’, rather than cutting back on numbers.
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