Theresa May’s divided cabinet has agreed that Brexit talks with Labourshould continue, but set a fresh deadline of the summer recess for parliament to pass the necessary legislation to take Britain out of the EU.
The former MP Bridget Prentice, who served as a minister in Tony Blair’s government, has resigned from the Labour party, branding it a “cult venerating the messiah” Jeremy Corbyn.
John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has said that today’s letter signed by Boris Johnson and others attacking the customs union plan (see 9.43am) has made it harder for Labour to believe that any Brexit deal it agrees with May will stick. (See 3.14pm.)
Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, has said that both main parties will be “crucified” by the voters if they do not implement Brexit. That is why he thought it was in both their interests to agree a deal, he said. He told the Wall Street Journal CEO Council:
There is potential because when you look at the fundamentals it is actually in both parties’ interests to resolve Brexit.
Because both of us will be crucified by our base if we went into a general election having promised that we would respect the referendum result, not having respected it.
And I think the lesson of the local elections is that the downside for Labour is as big as the downside for us.
I don’t think it’s impossible that there could be a deal there.
MI5 has committed “serious” breaches of surveillance safeguards in the way it handles information obtained under interception warrants, the home secretary, Sajid Javid, has admitted.
The former Liberal leader Lord Steel said he was “relieved” that an investigation launched after he gave evidence about child abuse allegations against the former MP Sir Cyril Smith concluded there were no grounds for action.
Wage growth has slowed in the UK to put a squeeze on living standards despite unemployment falling to its lowest level for more than 40 years.
That’s all from me for today.
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