Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Theresa May in Brexit meltdown as Senior House of Commons official accused of helping rebel MPs plotting to derail Brexit… Theresa May’s government is facing meltdown today as The Sunday Times reveals how a senior House of Commons official helped rebel MPs who are plotting to derail Brexit. Leaked emails obtained by this newspaper show that Dominic Grieve, the former attorney-general, has been in secret communications with Colin Lee, the clerk of bills, with the explicit intention of suspending Britain’s departure from the European Union. Lee drew up three versions of the plan for Grieve — each of which would overturn centuries of parliamentary precedent — and then swore him to secrecy. MPs will tomorrow unveil their plan to hijack the agenda of the Commons to suspend article 50, the mechanism by which the UK is leaving the EU. The revelations came as the prime minister’s plan B to salvage her Brexit deal can be disclosed. She wants to offer a bilateral treaty to Ireland that would remove the hated “backstop” from the EU withdrawal treaty and prevent a hard border by other means. Aides think that would “decontaminate” her deal so it could be supported by the DUP and Tory Eurosceptics. Her chief of staff, Gavin Barwell, has told two cabinet ministers that if it falters, the prime minister might have to offer to stand down in the month of May in a bid to drum up more support for her deal. With her future hanging by a thread, a senior civil servant warned last night: “The government could collapse. She has nowhere left to go.” – Sunday Times (£) Remainers plot to stop Brexit ‘They will do anything to stop’ EU exit’ – Sunday Express As a Remainer plot to seize Brexit and ‘deny EU Referendum result’ is revealed, as Dominic Grieve unveils amendment to stop No Deal… A gang of rebel Remain MPs led by Tory Dominic Grieve is plotting to seize control of Brexit while trying to stop a No Deal result, it has been reported. The group is planning to introduce a new amendment that would allow parliament to take the reins of the exit process, according to reports. Europhile Grieve is working with other Remainers, including Labour rebels, to try and block the UK leaving the EU on March 29 without an agreement with Brussels. They plan to put their motion to a vote in Parliament which if backed by 300 MPs could spark legislation to extend or revoke Article 50. That would be considered highly controversial as it would challenge the unwritten constitution that only an elected majority government can control UK policy. This bill would likely be backed by a majority in the Commons as most members of the house are against leaving the bloc without a deal. The rebel group are set to meet on Monday to finalise their plot which allies of the Prime Minister have branded a “very British coup”. A senior parliamentary source told Buzzfeed the plotters were attempting to overturn the historic referendum result. They said: “This is another example of centuries of procedure being overturned to suit an agenda that denies the referendum result.” – The Sun And the House of Lords plan an ambush that would scupper May’s Brexit trade plans The government is set to be defeated on Monday when peers rebel over ministers’ refusal to guarantee food safety, animal welfare and the power of parliament to block a free-for-all, The Independent has learned. In an extremely rare move, the Lords is poised to vote to shelve the Trade Bill unless the government agrees to put flesh on the “skeleton” – something ministers have failed to do for 15 months. Crucially, Liam Fox, the trade secretary, has admitted that preparations for a no-deal Brexit – by falling back on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules – are impossible unless the bill passes. “They need the Trade Bill for Brexit and we are extremely confident this vote will be successful, unless the government stops just saying ‘trust us’,” said a Lords source. Under the plan, detailed scrutiny of the legislation will be abandoned until the government explains how future trade agreements will be agreed and scrutinised. – Independent As Downing Street says backbencher Brexit moves are ‘extremely concerning’ Downing Street described the moves as “extremely concerning” and said they underlined the need for MPs who supported Brexit to vote for it in the House. “The British public voted to leave the European Union and it is vital that elected politicians deliver upon that verdict,” a No 10 spokeswoman said. “Any attempt to remove the Government’s power to meet the legal conditions of an orderly exit at this moment of historic significance is extremely concerning. This news should serve as a reminder to those MPs who want to deliver Brexit that they need to vote for it – otherwise there is a danger that Parliament could stop Brexit.” The reports comes as Mrs May prepares to brief Cabinet ministers on her talks with other party leaders and senior MPs following the crushing defeat of her Brexit deal last week in the Commons. – Belfast Telegraph Downing Street hits out at rebel MPs’ attempts to derail Brexit – Evening Standard Downing Street warns MPs not to block Brexit – BBC News Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer shifts Labour towards second EU referendum The frontbencher argued the point had been reached where Labour had agreed that if a general election could not be secured then the party “must” consider all options on the table, including a further public vote. Stressing the importance of the previously made commitment, he insisted it was “one we must keep”. His stance is in contrast to that of party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has resisted calls for a second vote, amid concerns of a backlash from Labour voters who supported Brexit. Having secured the crushing defeat of Theresa May’s EU withdrawal deal, Labour had moved to trigger a general election through a vote of no confidence but the prime minister had “clung on”, Sir Keir told the Fabian Society new year conference in London. – Sky News Keir Starmer says ‘public vote has to be an option’ for Labour – ITV News Starmer: Labour ‘must keep open’ option of second referendum – Observer Labour closer to backing new Brexit referendum as senior figures pile pressure on Corbyn – Independent Corbyn expected to back move to block no-deal Brexit Jeremy Corbyn is poised to back a plan to block a no-deal Brexit as pressure builds within Labour and the trade unions for a delay to Britain’s EU departure. It is understood that the leader and his shadow cabinet team are preparing to support a proposal that would force Theresa May to request an extension to Britain’s EU membership should no Brexit deal be agreed by early March. The plan would need the endorsement of the Labour frontbench to have a chance of being passed when the next round of critical votes takes place next week. While no final decision has been taken, senior figures said the move was in line with Corbyn’s demand that May take a no-deal Brexit “off the table”. The deliberations come with the Brexit options narrowing for Labour’s leadership amid an internal battle over whether it should back a second referendum. Having tried and failed to secure an election, figures in the party say the choice is now between a Norway-style soft Brexit, which would effectively have to include free-movement rules, and another public vote. – Observer MPs plotting to thwart Brexit risk unleashing a ‘political tsunami’, Liam Fox warns Writing for The Telegraph, the International Trade Secretary warns that failing to deliver on the 2016 referendum would open up a “yawning gap” between voters and Parliament. Upping the ante in a Cabinet war over a no-deal outcome, he also attacked MPs and ministers attempting to remove the option entirely, saying that the “most stupid thing possible” in a negotiation is to “give away your strongest card”. Dr Fox’s intervention comes after it emerged that Dominic Grieve, a former minister planning to prevent a no-deal Brexit, has drawn up proposals for just 300 MPs to be able to seize control of the Commons agenda. Dr Fox states: “We could not determine our own tariffs and our financial services industry would be exposed to a rapidly evolving body of EU regulation over which we would have no influence.” Dr Fox adds: “Despite what Corbyn seems to believe, it is not possible to take ‘no deal’ off the table for, if agreement is not reached, the law as it stands would mean that the European treaties no longer apply to the UK after 29th March. – Sunday Telegraph (£) Liam Fox warns failure to deliver Brexit would cause ‘political tsunami’ – Sunday Express Officials discuss election plans as Brexit deadlock sparks poll talk Theresa May declared this week that a snap general election on Brexit was “not in the national interest”; Downing Street denied on Friday that an early poll was on the way. No wonder some in Whitehall are on election alert. The British prime minister proved in 2017 she was perfectly capable of ruling out an election until the moment when she called one. So when Whitehall mandarins discussed contingency plans for a snap poll this week, there was a sense of urgency to their talks. Since Tuesday’s crushing 230 vote defeat for Mrs May’s Brexit deal, ministers and senior officials have started discussing the prospect of an election to break the political deadlock. “In the end, if everything else is stalled, you have to change the parliamentary maths,” said Grant Shapps, who was Conservative chairman ahead of the party’s 2015 election victory. “There are a lot of crazy Brexit scenarios, but this is no more crazy than the others.” Downing Street has confirmed that Mark Sedwill, Britain’s top civil servant, discussed contingency plans for an election with senior officials this week. The Cabinet Office said Sir Mark frequently discussed “a wide range of issues” with colleagues. – FT(£) Enter Mogg the peacebroker: Help me to save Theresa May and Brexit, says hardliner in stunning about turn as No10 braces for snap poll Jacob Rees-Mogg emerged last night as Theresa May’s best hope to avert a snap General Election – or her forced departure from Downing Street by the spring. In the wake of the Prime Minister’s crushing Commons defeat on her Brexit deal, a group of her most senior allies have ‘war-gamed’ a scenario in which Mrs May would sue for peace with her rebellious backbenchers by offering to resign by May – in exchange for them dropping their opposition. It comes as the same allies are frantically selecting policies to include in a ‘short, sharp’ manifesto in the event that Mrs May is forced to call a snap Election. But in a sign that the intensity of opposition could be lessening, Mr Rees-Mogg presents himself as a peacebroker committed to making Mrs May’s deal acceptable to her party. The powerful chairman of the European Research Group of Tory MPs uses an article in today’s Mail on Sunday to say: ‘If I had to choose between no deal and Mrs May’s original accord, I would have no hesitation of opting for no-deal Brexit – but even Mrs May’s deal would be better than not leaving at all.’ – Mail on Sunday Ministers agree to consider Lib Dem plans for new referendum Cabinet ministers involved in cross-party talks on how to break the Brexit deadlock have given the first indication that they are prepared to examine plans for a potential second referendum on the UK’s departure from the EU, according to the Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Vince Cable. The offer to examine a possible timetable for a second vote drawn up by the Lib Dems was made during discussions between senior Liberal Democrats and two cabinet ministers involved in the talks, Michael Gove and David Lidington, in the Cabinet Office on Thursday morning. While Theresa May’s government remains strongly opposed to the idea of returning the issue of Brexit to the electorate, the revelation by Cable shows that ministers are determined to look at a wide range of ideas being put forward by opposition parties. The government insists that any referendum that could reverse the 2016 decision to leave the EU would be a betrayal of the will of the people. It has also suggested that a second vote would take up to a year to prepare and conduct. But the Liberal Democrats have produced draft legislation which they say would allow one to be held far sooner: before the next European elections in May. – Observer International Trade Secretary Liam Fox yet to seal a single free trade agreement in case of no-deal Brexit International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said he was hopeful of deals being done before the UK is due to leave the EU on March 29 but insisted it was not just dependent on Britain. In 2017, Fox declared that the UK could “replicate the 40 free trade agreements before we leave the EU”, in a bid to avoid trade disruption. When asked on Friday whether Britain would be any closer to signing those 40 free trade deals, Fox told the BBC: “I hope they will be but they are not just dependent on the UK. Our side is ready. “It’s largely dependent on other whether countries believe that there will be no deal and are willing to put the work in to the preparations.” The Department for Trade said that a number of the deals were at an advanced stage but none of them have been rolled over to cover the UK after Brexit. There is an initial agreement with Switzerland to maintain the same relationship that the EU holds with the country, but nothing has formally been signed. Fox did sign a “mutual recognition agreement” with Australia on Friday, to maintain all the current relevant aspects that it has with the EU, but it is not a free trade deal. He added that there would be a “pipeline of them to be signed as we go through” and claimed the deal with Australia would make it easier for UK exports to comply with Australian standards. – City A.M. ‘Rogue’ MPs face locals after rebelling Former cabinet ministers attempting to block a no-deal Brexit are to face members of their local Tory parties amid a backlash over their actions in Parliament. Sir Oliver Letwin and Sir Michael Fallon’s Conservative associations have both convened meetings so members can confront their MPs about their involvement in bids to prevent the UK from leaving the EU without a deal. Members of Sir Oliver’s West Dorset association, which he has represented for 22 years, expressed surprise at his attempt to usurp the Government’s control over the parliamentary timetable, said he appeared to have “gone rogue”. A survey of Sir Michael’s Sevenoaks association found that two-thirds backed a no-deal Brexit, putting them at odds with their MP. Both MPs rebelled against the Government on January 8, to back a Commons amendment which would limit the Government’s scope to make tax changes following a no-deal departure. Sir Oliver has since helped to construct a mechanism to allow backbenchers to seize control of the Commons order paper in an attempt to force an extension of the Article 50 notice period under which the UK would otherwise leave the EU on March 29. – Sunday Telegraph (£) Rage of the Tory grassroots and why Brexit betrayal will consign party to oblivion As letters go, it was punchier than most. Sent to party chairman Brandon Lewis, it formed part of an irate postbag received by Conservative central office after one of the most tumultuous weeks in the party’s 184-year history. Yet for once the highly critical correspondence was not from Momentum thugs or UKIP headbangers but the Tories’ own members. Summing up the mood among the Conservative grassroots, Councillor Bob Perry – who has spent nearly half a century working as a party activist – spelled it out for Mr Lewis. Describing the withdrawal agreement as a “bad deal”, the chairman of the Hornchurch and Upminster Conservative Association, wrote: “As Chairman to Chairman and as a committed Conservative supporter, voter and hard working activist over the last 44 years, I have to say with a heavy heart, that if Brexit is not delivered as per the vote of 17.4m people in the referendum I would find it extremely difficult to remain part of a party that is hell-bent on reversing the will of the British people. I fear that if the party does not change direction, get behind Brexit and leave the EU as intended, the party I have dedicated my life to will be consigned to the history books as the party that denied democracy.” – Sunday Telegraph (£) Merkel promises to work ‘until the very last day’ to help secure Brexit deal Angela Merkel yesterday suggested the EU had a responsibility to ensure a smooth Brexit and pledged to work “until the very last day” to secure a deal with the UK. “I will work until the very last day to get a solution with a deal for Britain’s exit from the EU and I will work towards having the best relationship,” she told a regional party meeting. “We have a responsibility to shape a divorce process so that people don’t shake their heads at us in 50 years time and say why weren’t they in a position to make a compromise?” The comments, which follow a letter from German political and business leaders urging Britain to stay in the EU, are a clear sign of growing concern in Berlin at the Brexit deadlock. The chancellor has begun to engage more directly with the process in recent weeks, having long calls with Theresa May and other EU leaders. But sources in Berlin say Friday’s Brexit love letter is not a sign that Germany is about to ride to Mrs May’s rescue. The letter may have been signed by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Mrs Merkel’s anointed successor, but neither the chancellor nor her protege were the instigators behind it. – Sunday Telegraph (£) Merkel urges EU and UK to find Brexit compromise – Politico EU scorns No 10’s cliff-edge threat Theresa May’s threats to pursue a no-deal Brexit are not believed in Brussels and she should return only when she has a deal that can pass the House of Commons, EU officials have told The Sunday Times. One senior figure compared May’s no-deal posturing to someone about to commit suicide warning a passer-by that their clothes might get soiled. “None of us wants a cliff edge. None of us wants a no-deal, but the idea that you can threaten member states on the Continent with that is ridiculous,” the official said. “It’s like saying, ‘Do this or we shoot ourselves in the head. You may get some blood on you.’ . . . We never considered it credible. Two senior figures in the Brussels bureaucracy said there was no point returning for further negotiations unless May can convince the European Commission and member states that changes to her deal will be approved by MPs. – Sunday Times (£) Customs union compromise could open the door to renewed talks on Brexit, says commissioner Irish politician Phil Hogan, the EU’s agriculture commissioner, wrote in Saturday’s Irish Independent newspaper the deadlock could be broken if the UK agreed to remain part of the customs union. “More mainstream UK politicians need to drop the fanciful rhetoric and start speaking the plain, unvarnished truth,” wrote Hogan. “If Mrs May rolled back on her red line of exiting the customs union, most of the outstanding obstacles to a deal would be swept away,” he said. Downing Street maintained even after Tuesday’s vote that policy was to be outside any customs union, but EU officials have repeatedly said if Britain dropped this refusal the bloc would be willing to negotiate on key stumbling blocks like the Irish border. Hogan, who has criticised Britain’s approach throughout the negotiations, said facts remained thin on the ground in parliamentary debate in Westminster, adding that there was precious little time left to “sort out this mess.” – City A.M. Theresa May should become mediator, says Sir John Major Theresa May needs to become a mediator to help break the Brexit deadlock in Parliament, former prime minister John Major has said. He wants MPs to be given a vote on all Brexit options, indicating their preference on the way forward. Mrs May should consider dropping her red lines “in the national interest” and become a facilitator to find out what Parliament wants, he said. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier, Sir John warned that no deal would be the “worst of all outcomes”. He said that “millions of people” – both individuals and businesses – would be hurt in such a scenario. “Tinkering” with her deal will not make a difference to the current situation, he added. Sir John said the prime minister had been “handed a poisoned chalice” and that things had been “extremely difficult” for her. “Her position has been all but impossible,” he said, adding that Parliament was “running out of time”. If Mrs May does not drop her red lines “in the national interest”, then her options are either for the Cabinet or Parliament to decide or for there to be another referendum “now more facts are known than were known in 2016”, Sir John argued. He said while Cabinet is too split to reach an agreement, there is hope that Parliament could reach a consensus, with Mrs May as a mediator. – BBC News Give MPs free vote on Brexit options, says Sir John Major – Observer Liam Fox: Failure to deliver Brexit would produce a yawning gap between Parliament and the people Sometimes you are so involved with the detail of something you can’t see what is important. When a Question Time audience seemed to cheer the prospect of ‘no deal’, they were reminding Westminster of something too many are missing. When MPs voted to hold the referendum, they made a contract with voters. They said “you make the decision and we will abide by it”. They confirmed it at the election when 80% of those elected promised to honour the result with Conservatives committed to leaving the customs union and the single market. It is time to deliver. MPs must stop telling us what they don’t want and tell us what they do. Our future relationship with the European Union must be an ambitious partnership built on a commitment to free trade and high standards, while allowing us both to make changes where we want to. It must take back control of our money, borders and law, protecting jobs, security and our Union. It must allow us to introduce a skills-based immigration system and to strike new free trade agreements with some of the biggest and fastest growing economies around the world, in a way that benefits people across the UK. Failure to deliver Brexit would produce a yawning gap between Parliament and the people, a schism in our political system with unknowable consequences. – Liam Fox MP for the Sunday Telegraph (£) Alexander Downer: Hold your nerve May and Australia will be open for free trade When the British people voted to leave the EU we Australians thought it was a pretty simple proposition. As outside observers, we weren’t confused about what Brexit meant. We thought it meant leaving the political and economic structures of the EU. Surely, no-one on this planet thought leaving the EU meant leaving the political institutions – the European Council, the Parliament, the Commission, the Court of Justice and so on – but staying in the economic arrangements – like the customs union and the single market. I’m depressed. Your parliament isn’t going to allow it. The British people voted to leave the EU but two thirds of the parliament didn’t agree with the people’s decision. Dozens of clever and cunning ploys are being used to defy the will of the people. Let’s face it. At best the parliament will vote to leave the political structures of the EU but remain in its economic structures. At worst, they will organise another referendum but this time give EU citizens living in the UK the vote and allow children between 16 and 18 to vote even though they can’t vote in British elections. The plan? To get Brexit cancelled. Well, you can cancel Brexit if you like. But if you do, you’ll keep your best mates in the world – the Aussies – out in the cold where you’ve kicked us for the past 40 years. – Alexander Downer for the Sunday Express Dominic Raab: Voters expect their politicians to offer a more optimistic vision of post-Brexit Britain — it’s time for some self-belief This week, MPs voted down the Government’s proposed Brexit deal with the EU. There’s still time to secure the reasonable changes in Brussels to pass a deal in Parliament — but we Conservatives must keep our promise to leave the EU on March 29. Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn tabled and lost a vote of no confidence in the Government. The margin was higher than expected because some Labour MPs abstained, highlighting deep unease in the party about its leader’s fitness for high office. In contrast, even after a sobering setback, Theresa May signalled her determination to seek further concessions from Brussels. Mr Corbyn rebuffed the Prime Minister’s offer of talks unless she ruled out leaving with No Deal. If only he took such an uncompromising stance towards terrorists and despots. In reality, Jeremy Corbyn has no idea what Labour’s policy on Brexit would be. The path ahead is set in law. The UK will leave the EU in 68 days’ time — preferably with a deal, if not on World Trade Organisation terms. If Labour wants to reverse that legislation, it will require government backing — and the PM has made clear she won’t support it. The EU has asked to hear what alternatives the UK would accept. So this is a moment of truth, a test for the EU. Are they serious about a deal? – Dominic Raab MP for The Sun James Forsyth: Why a customs union is looking less likely Immediately after the government’s crushing defeat on Tuesday night, a slew of Cabinet Ministers thought that it was inevitable that Theresa May would have to make some kind of concession on the customs union to get a deal through parliament. But, as I say in The Sun this morning, this option has run into two obstacles. First, Corbyn and McDonnell aren’t playing ball. Without their blessing, there is no way you could get 116 Labour MPs to vote with a Tory PM. Secondly, it has become clear that agreeing to a customs union would not only split the Tory party, lead to at least one Cabinet resignation, but would also—according to one senior Cabinet Minister—lose the support of 40 MPs who voted for the deal on Tuesday night. May herself is not keen on the idea either; she thinks that having an independent trade policy is one of the main economic benefits of Brexit. For these reasons, she emphasising to Tory MPs that she doesn’t want to give way on the customs union. One minister tells me that ‘the penny is dropping with her about what the effect on the party and membership would be of going for a customs union. It is potentially devastating.’ – James Forsyth for The Spectator Sunday Times: The plot thickens but this is Mrs May’s final act As far as EU negotiations are concerned, everything happens at the last minute, it is sometimes said. We are not in the last minute yet, although we are getting closer to it by the day and the factions are spinning out of control. A week has passed in which Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal agreement was defeated in the House of Commons by a record majority, 230 votes, followed immediately by a vote of confidence in her government, which she won. The episode has brought out the worst characteristics of both main leaders. Mrs May has invited politicians from other parties, and perhaps more importantly her own party, for discussions. The feedback so far is that she has shown about as much flexibility and imaginative thinking as a speak-your-weight machine. Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile, has vetoed taking part in cross-party discussions until the prime minister rules out a no-deal Brexit. The Labour leader, as in all things Brexit, is engaging in opportunism. He sees a bigger political advantage in letting her stew in her own juice. If a bad Brexit did result in chaos Mr Corbyn would not be unhappy, prepared as he is to put Labour’s interest ahead of the national interest. Where does the prime minister go from here, having spent two years crafting an agreement that has been so resoundingly rejected by the Commons — and by both leave and remain-supporting MPs? – Sunday Times (£) editorial Dominic Lawson: Labour’s nightmare: Jeremy Corbyn running Brexit To Nigel Dodds must go the award for the most illuminating wit displayed in the debate of no confidence in the government, called by the leader of Her Majesty’s opposition. The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party at Westminster (on whose 10 votes the government depends for its majority) told MPs: “I have been struck by how many honourable members have been assiduous in their entreaties that my honourable friends and I should . . . vote in the lobby in support of the government in order to prevent a general election. Indeed, some of those entreaties have even come from the government side of the House.” Or, in other words, most of these private entreaties to the DUP not to pull the election ripcord came from the Labour benches. Well, of course. They are terrified by any prospect of taking over the negotiations for Britain’s departure from the EU — their responsibility if they had won the general election that would surely have followed a successful no-confidence motion. – Dominic Lawson for the Sunday Times (£) The Sun: Calamity Jeremy Corbyn is out of step with his own grassroots supporters and is losing Labour’s confidence Theresa May has endured the worst week of her political career. But Jeremy Corbyn has contrived to have an even more disastrous one. His cack-handed leadership has so dismayed Labour members that they are deserting the party in droves. More than 60,000 loyalists have torn up their membership cards since Labour’s high-water mark at the 2017 election, and that could rise to 100,000. They were already disillusioned by his inability to quell the anti-Semitism row and his failure to condemn Putin over the Salisbury poisonings. His decision to duck Brexit talks with the PM is the latest calamitous misjudgment to leave his party reeling. A new poll in today’s Sun on Sunday reveals 65 per cent of voters, a large proportion of them Labour supporters, believe he was barmy to snub Mrs May’s offer. It is further damning evidence that he is out of step with his own grass roots and rapidly losing their confidence. – The Sun says Brexit in Brief David Cameron is a headless chicken who legged it after Brexit — which shows how lucky we are to have Theresa May as PM – Tony Parsons for The Sun Corbyn and May must compromise to see off a no-deal Brexit – Caroline Flint for the Observer Tomorrow it’s plan B for Brexit; Tuesday week could usher in Common Market 2.0 – Adam Boulton for the Sunday Times (£)