Year: 2018

Just hours after grappling cabinet support for her Brexit deal, Theresa May is addressing parliament after Dominic Raab and Esther McVey quit, throwing both the plan and her future into turmoil. The prime minister secured the uneasy support of her cabinet for the draft deal with Brussels, following a stormy five-hour meeting which culminated on Wednesday night. Consensus only lasted a matter of hours before Mr Raab, the Brexit secretary, sensationally quit, shortly followed by Ms McVey. Earlier this morning Northern Ireland minister Shailesh Vara also resigned in protest, while…

Esther McVey has just quit as the work and pensions secretary, saying the draft agreement “does not honour the referendum.” But who is the former minister? The 51-year-old from Liverpool studied law at university and played for Lancashire Ladies volleyball team. She was a presenter on GMTV and worked in children’s television before becoming an MP in 2010. She lost her seat in the 2015 election, but was brought back in 2017, winning George Osborne’s former seat of Tatton. She has held a number of roles, including minister for disabled…

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has resigned saying he “cannot in good conscience support” the UK’s draft Brexit agreement with the EU. Theresa May announced on Wednesday evening that she had secured the backing of her cabinet for the agreement, after a five hour meeting. But several ministers were understood to have spoken against it, and there are suggestions of moves among Conservative backbenchers to force a no-confidence vote in her. The prime minister is due to make a Commons statement on the Brexit agreement at 1030 GMT. Mr Raab –…

Theresa May faces a grilling from MPs later over the draft Brexit agreement the UK has reached with the EU. The PM secured her cabinet’s backing for the deal after a five-hour meeting, although several ministers are understood to have spoken against it. She has also faced a backlash from Tory Brexiteers and her Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) backers, amid suggestions of moves to force a no-confidence vote. Labour will announce later whether or not it will back the deal. However, leader Jeremy Corbyn said he did not believe the…

Theresa May faces a crunch cabinet meeting later as she tries to win colleagues’ support for a draft Brexit agreement between the UK and EU. Senior ministers will gather in Downing Street at 14:00 GMT amid calls to reject the deal from both senior Brexiteers and some Remain supporters. The Democratic Unionists have warned it could lead to the break-up of the UK. Norman Smith said No 10 were stressing it had pushed “right to the wire” and “gone as far as we can”. Downing Street, he added, were pointing…

Tony Blair has hit out at Jeremy Corbyn’s “abject refusal” to lead the UK “out of the Brexit nightmare”. The former prime minister is to say it is “gut-wrenching” that Labour is not leading the call for a People’s Vote. And he will condemn the “stupidity” of the “far left” for denigrating the record of the New Labour years in government. In a speech in London, Blair will argue that left-wing populism is not the answer to populism on the right and instead the “progressive centre” must recognise and address…