Thursday, Dec 05, 2024 04:15AM

Brexit: Cross-party talks to continue amid impasse

Brexit: Cross-party talks to continue amid impasse

BBC News :

Ministers and their shadow counterparts will continue cross-party talks on Tuesday, Downing Street has said, as they try to break the Brexit deadlock.

“Technical” discussions among officials took place on Monday evening.

Sources indicated the PM had not accepted Labour’s customs union demand, but there was a move towards changing the non-binding political declaration.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said there had been no change in the government’s “red lines”.

A Downing Street spokesman said the government was “committed to finding a way through” which requires both sides “to work at a pace”.

The UK is currently due to leave the EU at 23:00 BST on Friday. So far, MPs have rejected the withdrawal agreement Theresa May reached with other European leaders last year.

She is due to attend an emergency summit in Brussels on Wednesday, where EU leaders will expect to hear fresh plans aimed at ending the impasse in Parliament.

Ahead of this, Mrs May will hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin and Paris on Tuesday.

On Monday evening, Parliament passed a bill brought by Labour MP Yvette Cooper, which aims to force the prime minister to request a Brexit extension rather than leave the EU without a deal. However, the final decision on an extension lies with the EU.

The bill received Royal Assent from the Queen on Monday night and has become law.

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs that if this happens on Monday evening, there will be a government motion on Tuesday asking the House to approve the PM’s request to the EU to delay Brexit until 30 June.

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