Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Theresa May being pushed in seven different directions amidst the Brexit impasse… Theresa May is facing calls to head in seven different possible directions amid the Brexit crisis. The prime minister saw her Brexit deal defeated for a third time in the House of Commons on Friday, which continues to leave her unable to break the deadlock at Westminster. Under the terms of a delay to Brexit she agreed with EU leaders, Mrs May has to present a way forward within the next two weeks. This is likely to come before an emergency EU summit on 10 April, which was called following the third heavy Commons defeat for the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement. Ahead of that deadline, Mrs May is now being pushed in at least seven different directions by MPs and campaigners on both sides of the Brexit debate. – Sky News …as MPs prepare to vote again tonight to find a way out of the parliamentary deadlock… MPs are once again set to take control of the parliamentary agenda in a fresh attempt to find an alternative to Theresa May’s Brexit deal. MPs will take part in a second round of indicative votes to see if there’s an option that can command a majority. Remainer MP Sir Oliver Letwin submitted the motion last week, which allowed MPs to vote on a number of alternatives at the same time, to try to find a way to break the Brexit deadlock in the Commons. MPs took part in the first round of voting last week, but none of the alternative ideas had a parliamentary majority. Eight options have been tabled for today’s indicative votes, including a no-deal Brexit, a customs union and a people’s vote. Speaker John Bercow will select which options will be part of the fresh vote later on Monday. Reports suggest he may only select three or four. He is also expected to say if MPs will vote using a preferential voting system, in an effort to bring MPs to a decision. – Sky News MPs take back control of Commons agenda for second round of indicative votes – Telegraph (£) …but Brussels is expressing doubts about the alternatives to May’s Brexit plans EU officials have expressed concern that British MPs’ alternative plans for Brexit are detached from reality and fail to acknowledge the basic choice between approving Theresa May’s exit treaty and remaining in the union for much longer. MPs are set to vote on rival options to Mrs May’s overall deal on Monday, including softer variants on Brexit and a “confirmatory referendum”. But there is concern in EU capitals that the leading options do not take account of Britain’s position less than two weeks before the UK’s scheduled April 12 exit from the bloc. In particular, EU officials insist that the exit treaty negotiated with the UK prime minister is non-negotiable and that the rival plans would not excuse Britain from taking part in elections to the European Parliament scheduled for May 23-26. “The discussion in London seems as always a bit detached from how the reality looks in EU27 capitals,” one official said. “The withdrawal agreement is closed. Time is running out.” – FT(£) Jean-Claude Juncker warns EU’s ‘patience coming to an end’ as he urges MPs to find solution to impasse – Independent May prepares for mass resignations whatever course Brexit takes this week Theresa May is braced for mass resignations from her Cabinet whichever way she goes on Brexit, as her Justice Secretary today warned he would quit if the PM opts for No Deal. David Gauke, a leading Remainer minister, said a customs union with the EU was not his preferred option but was better than No Deal, saying he would resign if Number 10 sought a cliff-edge Brexit. But the PM faces resignations from Brexiteers such as Andrea Leadsom or Michael Gove if she gives into the Remain wing and chooses a soft Brexit. Tonight Downing Street fired back at Mr Gauke, saying its Brexit plans ‘do not include membership of the customs union’. MPs are voting on their preferred alternatives to Brexit tomorrow night before Mrs May is expected to have one final go at passing her deal on Tuesday or Wednesday. – MailOnline PM cannot ‘ignore’ soft Brexit MPs, says minister – BBC News Theresa May could have to accept staying in customs union and break manifesto pledge, says David Gauke – Telegraph (£) Soft Brexit will shatter Tory party, Theresa May warned – The Times (£) Ministers try to force May’s hand over Brexit as cabinet rift widens – Guardian > WATCH: Justice Secretary David Gauke’s interview on BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show Remain ministers accused of betraying Theresa May by pushing for a customs union with the EU Tory MPs claimed at least two junior ministers were ringing backbenchers urging them to back a customs union in the vote on different Brexit plans. If the customs option tabled by veteran Ken Clarke wins a majority the PM will be under huge pressure to negotiate it with Brussels. But Brexit-backing MP Michael Fabricant told The Sun: “This is a total breach of our manifesto commitment. “And it would be a total betrayal of everyone who voted Leave in 2016.” The PM vowed to stay out of the customs pact in the 2017 manifesto so Britain could strike trade deals with the rest of the world. A senior Tory said the growing split may trigger “the death of the Conservative Party”. – The Sun Chief Whip attacks Cabinet’s post-election Brexit strategy in rare interview The government should have made clear after the 2017 election that it would “inevitably” have to accept a softer Brexit, the Tory chief whip has said. In a BBC documentary, Julian Smith is also strongly critical of the cabinet’s behaviour and lack of discipline. It is unprecedented for a chief whip to publicly attack his own government and comes as the cabinet is deeply split over whether to move to a softer deal. MPs hold further indicative votes later on options to resolve the deadlock. A customs union with the EU is thought to be the most popular of the ideas under consideration. In interviews for The Brexit Storm: Laura Kuenssberg’s Inside Story, Mr Smith who, as chief whip, is responsible for maintaining discipline within the Conservative Party, accused ministers of trying to undermine the prime minister. He said he witnesses ministers “sitting around the cabinet table… trying to destabilise her [Mrs May]” and described their behaviour as the “worst example of ill-discipline in cabinet in British political history”. Mr Smith said that when it failed to get a majority in the 2017 election, “the government as a whole probably should have just been clearer on the consequences of that. The Parliamentary arithmetic would mean that this would be inevitably a kind of softer type of Brexit.” – BBC News Chief whip Julian Smith launches stinging attack on Cabinet during BBC documentary – Evening Standard Tom Watson repeats his call for Labour to back a second referendum Tom Watson has called on Labour to support a second Brexit referendum under all circumstances if the party is to beat the Conservatives in a general election. As the party considers whether to call another no-confidence vote in Theresa May’s government, its deputy leader said a people’s vote would bring the country back together. His latest call comes after May’s deal was struck down for a third time in the Commons on Friday, and as MPs prepare to vote on a series of Brexit options, including a second referendum, on Monday. His words will be met with unease from some Labour MPs, particularly those in leave-dominated areas. The Labour frontbencher Melanie Onn, the MP for Grimsby, resigned from her shadow position last week to join a rebellion against the party’s backing for a second referendum, while three shadow cabinet members abstained on the vote. Watson acknowledged the party was split over Brexit but insisted Jeremy Corbyn was signed up to pursuing a second referendum under all circumstances. “Whatever the deal looks like, if it is underpinned by a people’s vote, that is how we bring the country back together,” he said. – Guardian Tom Watson says new referendum ‘only way’ to unite country and would be in Labour manifesto if snap election called – Independent > WATCH: Labour’s Deputy Leader Tom Watson on BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show Chris Grayling urges Tories to elect a senior Eurosceptic to lead the party through Brexit The Tory party must appoint a senior Tory Eurosceptic to lead it through Brexit, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said last night. And he added a full-scale leadership contest should be delayed until 2022. Mr Grayling said it was “more likely than not the next leader will be someone who campaigned for Brexit”. He told the Daily Telegraph: “We are planning two things rather than one. “Planning somebody who has got the experience and resilience to get us through the immediate future. “Then we have got a really good generation of younger politicians in their 40s who can make a real impact, who are going to be the future leadership of the party in the future.” – The Sun Chris Grayling interview: ‘Customs union after Brexit means ceding power to Lithuania’ – Telegraph (£) Many Labour MPs want to back our plan to revoke Article 50, claims SNP The SNP MP behind a revised plan to revoke Article 50 if a no-deal scenario seems inevitable has said she has been approached by “many” Labour MPs who want to back it. Joanna Cherry QC said she has been working closely with some Labour politicians to find a more “palatable” way of wording the proposal. Scottish Labour MP Paul Sweeney has suggested that he and others are “sympathetic” to the idea, which he described as a “sensible safeguard”. MPs are preparing to take control of the Commons timetable with a second series of “indicative” votes on Brexit, starting on Monday, in a bid to find a plan which can command a majority in the House. Ms Cherry has confirmed that she has tabled a fresh version of her motion that calls for Article 50 – the mechanism for leaving the European Union – to be revoked in certain circumstances. – The Scotsman The Queen fears being dragged into the Brexit chaos The Queen is reported to be worried she could be dragged into the Brexit row and, in doing so, sparking a constitutional crisis. Her majesty’s role is one that she never interferes in politics and remains politically neutral. However, with the prospect of more chaos on Monday, with indicative votes in the Commons on Brexit plans, there is the possibility Theresa May could enlist the help of the monarchy to prevent a soft Brexit. A political source told The Times that Buckingham Palace was “bricking it” over the chaos that could ensue. And a paper for the Policy Exchange think tank, written by two constitutional experts, has also suggested the Queen could be drawn into the Brexit row, according to the Mirror online. Following the votes on Monday, Mrs May could be forced to accept a soft Brexit if MPs favour a customs union. But that would contradict a key manifesto pledge by the Tories in 2017. MPs, however, are said to be considering passing an Act of Parliament and going over the Government’s head. – iNews Sir John Major backs a ‘national government’ of both Tory and Labour politicians to solve Brexit impasse as he renews second referendum calls Sir John Major said a national government may be needed to solve the Brexit impasse today as he renewed calls for a second referendum. The ex-Prime Minister said there needed to be a way to end the ‘chaos’ in Parliament by finding a way to build a stable majority. While urging the PM not to call a snap election this week, he predicted a new poll could happen by this autumn. But if a new election fails to hand one party decisive control of the nation there should be a ‘cross-party government’ to take decisions in the ‘national interest’. Outlining how to approach the Brexit issues, Sir John told BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show: ‘If we have a general election in the autumn, which I think is possible not certain, and we don’t get a government with a clear majority then I think it would be in the national interest to have a cross-party government so that we can take decisions without the chaos that we’re seeing in Parliament at the moment where every possible alternative is rejected.’ He said he suspects MPs may add ‘something relating to the customs union and alignment to the single market’ to Mrs May’s deal, noting: ‘If they add that to her deal, it’s not perfect, it’s far from perfect… I think it could go through and it might be the least bad option in the circumstances we’re in other than reversing the whole thing.’ – MailOnline > WATCH: Former prime minister Sir John Major on BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show 19 MEPs in Leave-voting constituencies are campaigning for a second referendum At least 19 Members of the European Parliament representing Leave-voting constituencies in Britain are actively campaigning to overturn the Brexit referendum vote through a so-called “people’s vote”. Another nine MEPs, from Remain areas, also support the second vote, taking the total number to 28 politicians out of the 73 British seats in Brussels and Strasbourg, analysis carried out by The Sunday Telegraph found. “This shows a chasm of disconnect between self-absorbed Remainer politicians and the people they fail to represent,” said Nigel Farage, a MEP and former Ukip leader. He said the MEPs, who represent more than a third of total UK seats, had weakened Britain’s hand in the Brexit talks and given hope “to those who despise the biggest democratic vote in British history.” Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green MEPs have publicly backed the people’s vote campaign and called for Brexit to be reversed, often in opposition to the wishes of their constituents and their parties. Four Tory and 17 Labour MEPs broke with their party policy to campaign for Britain to stay in the EU and for them to keep their well-paid jobs. Tory party policy was to support Theresa May’s Brexit deal, while Labour has said the people’s vote should be one of a number of options on the table. – Telegraph (£) Almost 20 MEPs in Leave-voting areas campaigning for second referendum – Express Boris Johnson: The Tories need to get on with Brexit and learn to believe in Britain again I reckon I speak for millions of people on all sides of the debate when I say that after almost three years of Brexit I am fit to burst with impatience. We cannot go on like this. We need to get on with it and to get it done. We should really come out with no deal – now looking far the best option; but if we cannot achieve that, then we need to get out, now, with an interim solution that most closely resembles what the people voted for, in the knowledge that – following the PM’s decision to step down – we have at least the chance to fix it in the second phase of the negotiations. Yes, it will be tough, and yes, it will mean we will need a very different approach. But it is absolutely essential now that we in the UK recover our courage and self-belief. We need to get Brexit done, because we have so much more to do, and so much more that unites the Conservative party than divides us. We have so many achievements to be proud of – and yet every single one is being drowned out in the Brexit cacophony. – Boris Johnson for the Telegraph (£) Priti Patel: We failed to treat the Brexit vote as an opportunity to be embraced This weekend should have gone down in history. Friday, March 29, 2019 was supposed to be the date that we finally left the clutches of the European Union and pursued a bright future as a self-governing nation. Having delayed our leaving date, it instead marked another day of national humiliation for our country. Some 17.4 million people chose to leave the EU in the biggest act of democracy in our country’s history. Yet since then the Prime Minister and government ministers have treated this instruction as a damage-limitation exercise rather than as an opportunity to be embraced. That’s why the deal the PM struck with Brussels is so one-sided. It forces us to pay £39billion without securing any sort of trade deal in return, and it imperils the precious union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I could not support a deal which prioritises the needs and wishes of the EU at the expense of the constitutional integrity of this country. MPs voted in January for the Prime Minister to secure significant and legally binding changes to the deal so that we could reassure our friends in Northern Ireland. No changes or “alternative arrangements” have been forthcoming. And tomorrow in Parliament, Remain MPs plan to pounce again. Faced with a weak Government that does not believe in Brexit, they plan to reverse centuries of parliamentary traditions to get their way by forcing a vote on keeping the UK inside the European customs union. We are witnessing an unprecedented moment in public life – the moment when democracy has become maligned by elected politicians who think they know better than the very people who were elected as their representatives. By saying no to a customs union tomorrow, we elected representatives can do the right thing and honour the optimistic vision spelt out to us by the British people in the 2016 referendum. – Priti Patel MP for the Express Greg Hands: Why won’t my colleagues think it through? A Customs Union would be a disaster for British foreign policy There is a serious risk that the UK might sleepwalk into this Customs Union relationship, but without having had a proper debate on it. The main proponents in the debate last week – Ken Clarke, Keir Starmer and Hilary Benn – all seemed to want to avoid scrutiny of the proposal. All were all noticeable in not taking any interventions from the only former Minister for Trade Policy in the Commons. Most of the criticisms of the Customs Union are written up in the context of it meaning that the UK would be unable to do independent trade deals. Some might shrug their shoulders at this, as the UK hasn’t been able to do independent trade deals since 1973 anyway – it isn’t as if we are losing something we don’t enjoy at the moment, after all? But being in an EU customs union has a significance well beyond this. Let me just take one aspect. The UK will face a serious loss of foreign policy influence. The EU would undoubtedly favour us being in a customs union. At the trade bargaining tables of the future, it would be able to offer up access to the UK’s 65 million consumers without the UK getting anything in return. Michel Barnier’s number two, Sabine Weyand, gave the game away when she briefed EU ambassadors in November that in her view the Future Partnership document “requires the customs union as the basis of the future relationship”. Helpfully, the revised documentation the Prime Minister delivered at Strasbourg has restated that the future relationship does not have to be a customs union – it will be up to a future UK negotiation team to ensure we win this argument. That is why the best available course of action is to vote for the Withdrawal Agreement, and start afresh to ensure we avoid the Customs Union. Let us make sure that we don’t sign up to it this week, before that negotiation has even begun. – Greg Hands MP for ConservativeHome Martin Howe: Why Brexiteers were right to reject Theresa May’s deal, and why it’s right to reject it again if it is brought back The date has now passed when the UK should have left the EU, and – amazingly – I am writing yet another article about Mrs May’s “deal”. Last Friday, a solid core of Brexit-supporting Conservative MPs once again rejected the deal and brought about its defeat, in alliance with the DUP. I believe that they were right to do so. Brexit supporters whose views I respect have persuaded themselves that for pragmatic reasons they should now support the hated deal. I do not doubt the sincerity of those who have come to this view, but I do not agree with them. A common theme is: now that Mrs May has said she will stand down, a new Brexit-supporting Conservative leader can be installed who could recover much of the ground lost by Mrs May’s disastrously incompetent negotiations. This new leader – let us call him or her “Superleader” – would be able through strength of purpose and skill to negotiate the Canada-style Free Trade Agreement with the EU which is needed to allow the UK to conduct an independent global trade policy, and would also rescue Northern Ireland from the backstop. An Article 50 extension has to be agreed by EU leaders unanimously. Even more than the European Parliament elections, the prospect of a recalcitrant UK as a full member state vigorously exercising its legal rights and veto powers under a new leader in order to push for a much better negotiated deal is a big disincentive to the EU agreeing to an Article 50 extension. Therefore the prospect of no extension and no deal is much better than most people give credit for. Things are rough at the moment during this end game. But I hail and salute those who continue to resist the Theresa May deal. If it is brought back again next week I hope they will defeat it again. It is not only the principled thing to do – it is the right thing to do pragmatically as well. It is in the clear national interest of our country that this deal must not pass. – Martin Howe QC for Lawyers for Britain Robert Peston: Theresa May will be saved or sunk by the Commons vote on a customs union Some allies of the prime minister are desperate for a majority of MPs to back Ken Clarke’s motion to keep the UK in the customs union, at the close of round two of the Letwin process of the Commons bossing the government, Monday night. Yes you heard me right. They want MPs to vote for a plan that would drive a coach and whole herd of horses through the Tory election manifesto and would cleave the Conservative Party in two. To be clear, these are not ministers and officials who themselves are keen for the UK to agree a deal with the EU that would remove the requirement for customs checks to be reintroduced after Brexit. Au contraire. But they hope if it becomes the revealed will of the Commons to negotiate that kind of so-called soft Brexit – one which would keep the UK under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, and would prohibit the negotiation of trade deals with non-EU countries – that would be the perfect platform for the prime minister to put her own Brexit deal back to the Commons for a record-breaking fourth time – on Tuesday. So please don’t laugh but just maybe we are two days away from the PM’s Brexit deal being ratified – which would mean (probably) the UK leaving the EU on May 22 (ministers are confident May 22 would be reinstated by the EU as Brexit day in those circumstances). And if it doesn’t pass at this fourth attempt, well then we are into mega crisis territory because at that juncture the PM would be mandated by MPs to negotiate with the EU a customs-union-based Brexit. If she were to agree to what would be heresy for most of her colleagues, Cabinet and the Tory Party would divide and crumble – if she refused, she could well face and lose a no-confidence vote. Which is why Mrs May will have very mixed feelings about the Clarke customs-union motion being voted on in just a few hours because it is simultaneously the route to her salvation and her damnation, depending on what happens next. – Robert Peston for ITV News Brexit in Brief Theresa May was never up to the job of delivering Brexit and, while she remains in office, we cannot rescue this national tragedy – Stewart Jackson for the Telegraph (£) Delivering Brexit is the best way for the Tories to avoid a Corbyn government – Telegraph (£) editorial I will continue to fight for Brexit – Mark Pritchard MP for the Shropshire Star