Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Theresa May backs push for Graham Brady’s ‘alternative’ to the Brexit backstop in vote tonight… The U.K. government will whip its MPs to vote in favor of a backbench amendment calling for the controversial Irish backstop to be “replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border.” MPs will vote on Tuesday evening on backbench amendments relating to the government’s Brexit strategy. It is not yet decided which of the 12 amendments will be selected for a vote. But the backstop amendment put forward by chair of the backbench Conservative 1922 committee Graham Brady will be supported by the government, party chairman Brandon Lewis said following a meeting between Prime Minister Theresa May and her MPs. Lewis added that the government will whip against another amendment, put forward by Labour MP Yvette Cooper, which aims to create parliamentary time for a bill to delay Brexit. If the Brady amendment passes, May will “go out to Europe and negotiate with Europe about doing something on the backstop,” Lewis said. He did not confirm whether this would include reopening the legally-binding Withdrawal Agreement which was agreed by London and Brussels in November. – Politico Theresa May splits Tories over anti-backstop Brexit deal – Guardian …but many anti-EU Tories yesterday rejected the ‘plan B’ to rescue her deal… Theresa May has been plunged into a fresh Brexit crisis after anti-EU Tories rejected her ‘plan B’ attempt to rescue her deal and threatened to inflict another Commons defeat on Tuesday. The prime minister took the extraordinary step of urging her MPs to back an amendment that “requires the Northern Ireland backstop to be replaced” – even though it effectively rips up her own agreement with the EU. However, just 30 minutes earlier – in a dramatic underlining of her weakness – the hardline 60-strong European Research Group (ERG) rejected the wording as too vague. Without ERG support, the amendment, tabled by Tory backbenchers’ leader Graham Brady, appeared doomed to fail – wrecking No 10 hopes that it would persuade the EU to give way. Even before the setback, Brussels made clear it would, in any case, never accept a UK demand to replace the backstop, insisting the EU was “not going to reopen the agreement”. Heidi Allen, a leading pro-EU Tory, said the prime minister was “dreaming” if she believed her strategy could succeed, telling The Independent: “She is doing nothing other than pandering to the ERG again.” Despite the continuing stalemate, Ms May told the emergency meeting of Tory MPs that she wanted to stage a second “meaningful vote” on her deal by 13 February. – Independent Tory rebels reject May’s Plan B – The Times (£) …although rival Tory factions have been devising a new plan A group of Conservative Eurosceptics and former Remainer MPs have been working on planning for the event of a no-deal Brexit, it has emerged. Signs the MPs discussed their proposals with Downing Street came as the Commons prepares to vote later on amendments to the PM’s Brexit deal with Brussels… Former Remainers, including ex-Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and government ministers Stephen Hammond and Rob Buckland, have been working with Brexiteers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker on the plan. According to a leaked document, the proposal drawn up by the rival factions would extend the transition period where the UK would continue to follow EU rules and pay into its budget from the end of 2020 and into December 2021, which would allow time to reach a free trade deal. EU citizens rights would be guaranteed during this time and there would be no customs checks on the Irish border. – BBC News John Bercow warned ‘history will judge him’ if he snubs amendment to save Theresa May’s Brexit deal John Bercow has been warned by senior Government figures that “history will judge him” if he snubs a backbench amendment on Tuesday that could save Theresa May’s Brexit deal. The Speaker of the House of Commons will sit down tomorrow lunchtime to examine a series of amendments tabled which could radically change the course of Brexit. On Monday night Theresa May, the Prime Minister, told Tory MPs her Government will back an amendment tabled by senior backbencher Sir Graham Brady which says MPs will support her deal if the backstop is swapped for “alternative arrangements”. Sir Graham’s plan, if agreed by a majority of MPs, would provide Mrs May with evidence to take to Brussels to show the EU a deal is within reach if the bloc is willing to drop its opposition to renegotiating the Withdrawal Agreement. However, Sir Graham’s plan will only be put to a vote if Mr Bercow selects it from a list of 12 amendments which he will allow to be put to a vote at 7pm. – Telegraph (£) Time-limited backstop not yet on table, says DUP’s Sammy Wilson DUP MP Sammy Wilson has said his party is currently ruling out the prospect of a time-limit on the Irish border backstop – but indicated it may be open to backing such a move if no other alternative can be agreed. The controversial issue of the backstop has been the main sticking point in the Brexit talks between London and Brussels, with the prime minister’s allies in government the DUP consistently stating the proposal must be ditched if they are to support any withdrawal agreement. Earlier this month, DUP MP Jim Shannon signalled that a two-year time-limit on the backstop – written into the legally binding treaty with the EU – may be sufficient to win his party’s backing. But yesterday, DUP Brexit spokesperson Mr Wilson said his party would not support a temporary backstop arrangement as things currently stand. Promoted by Tourism Australia He told the News Letter: “We want an alternative to the backstop. A time-limit is by far the second, third or even fourth best option. – News Letter EU negotiator accuses UK of ‘snatching defeat from the jaws of victory’ and insists Brussels will not give in on Irish backstop A top Brussels negotiator accused Britain of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” and insisted the EU won’t be budging on the backstop. Michel Barnier’s deputy, Sabine Weyand, accused MPs of ignorance about what is in the Brexit deal and said tech solutions to the border don’t exist. In a series of outspoken remarks that will cause consternation in No 10 she also blamed Theresa May’s secrecy for the unpopularity of the agreement. Speaking at an event in Brussels, the German eurocrat raised the possibility the EU will still insist on the backstop even if Britain opts for no deal. And she warned there is now a “very high risk of a crash out not by design but by accident” given the paralysis gripping Parliament. She said: “It’s quite a challenge to see how you can construct, out of the diversity of opposition, a positive majority for a deal. “The result of the negotiation has been very much shaped by the UK negotiators, much more than they actually get credit for. This is a bit like snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” – The Sun Corbyn and McDonnell at odds over no deal as Shadow Chancellor suggests chaos could help Labour win power… Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell are at odds over a no-deal Brexit, causing friction within the Labour leader’s office, it has been claimed. While Mr Corbyn has refused to engage with Theresa May until the “catastrophic “ prospect of leaving on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms is taken off the table, insiders say the Shadow Chancellor is “more comfortable” with no deal “because it would lead to the kind of chaos that makes a revolution more possible.” A source said: “All John wants is another general election. Although there are legitimate fears Labour would be blamed for no Brexit, there is also the sense that the party could capitalise on the Government being plunged into yet another unprecedented crisis.” Len McCluskey’s “stranglehold” on Corbyn’s office is also said to be causing tensions with Mr McDonnell. Emboldened by his meeting with Theresa May at Downing Street last week, the Unite boss’s is said to be wielding a great deal of power over Labour’s Brexit policy as the party’s biggest financial backer. – Telegraph (£) …with some expecting Corbyn to order Labour MPs to back the Remainer amendment to block no deal and delay Brexit… Britain faces being trapped in the bloc until at least the end of the year under a cross-party backbench plot. Labour support would push the vote to a knife-edge after senior Tories backed the plan. But MPs in Leave supporting areas, such as Don Valley’s Caroline Flint, have warned the move would be a “disaster”. Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett said voters in his Yorkshire constituency had told him “we’ve had a vote: get on with it”. He said it may appear to voters that MPs were attempting to “somehow remove the earlier decision, which was to Brexit”. More than 100 MPs from across the Commons have put their name to the attempt to amend Theresa May’s motion on the next stages of the Brexit process. Senior sources in Labour tonight said they would be “amazed” if the party did not formally throw its support behind the move. They dismissed reports that Mr Corbyn was gearing up to allow a free vote on the amendment as “not true” and based on a “misunderstanding”. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has previously said Labour is “highly likely” to get behind the plan. – Express …but others suggest Labour support for Yvette Cooper’s amendment is in doubt Jeremy Corbyn has yet to confirm that Labour will support Yvette Cooper’s push to take a no-deal Brexit off the table on Tuesday, amid significant doubts among some allies. Several Labour MPs have said they have been reassured that the leadership will whip to support the amendment that Cooper devised with the Tory MP Nick Boles. A spokesman said no final decision had been made and the leadership was studying the proposal closely. Doubts were raised on Monday when Jon Trickett, the shadow Cabinet Office minister,said voters in his constituency would regard support for the measure on Tuesday as a failure to respect the result of the 2016 referendum. “Over the weekend, I was speaking to some people in my constituency. They weren’t actually people who voted for leave, though the majority of people in my constituency had voted for leave. What they said was: people have struggled for the vote, people have died pursuing the vote. Other people have been sent to Australia or put in prison – and the vote actually is a precious thing,” Trickett said. – Guardian Labour digital chief reportedly working with ‘hard’ Brexit groups A company owned by a senior Labour party official is processing voter data for three Eurosceptic campaign groups pushing for a hard no-deal Brexit, the Financial Times has learnt. Ben Soffa has been head of digital organising for the UK’s main opposition party since 2015, having previously run Jeremy Corbyn’s victorious leadership campaign. The software developer has his own company, Organic Campaigns, which has worked for various clients ranging from Cancer Research to Stop the War Coalition and the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign. Mr Soffa confirmed on Monday that the group’s technology had been used by Leave Means Leave, BetterBrexit.org and NowBrexit.com, all of which are pressing MPs to demand a no-deal Brexit. All three websites enable visitors to email their local MPs, with disclaimers saying “data will be processed by Organic Campaigns”, which is registered solely to Mr Soffa. – FT (£) Labour urged to consult grassroots members on Brexit Supporters of a second referendum are calling on Labour’s ruling body to consult grassroots members about the party’s Brexit policy. On Tuesday, the national executive committee (NEC) holds its first full meeting this year. Activists will gather outside to hand leaflets to members, calling on them to ask the party’s half a million members what Jeremy Corbyn should do next. Six members of the party’s international policy commission, which met recently, have written to the Labour leader and to Labour’s general secretary, Jennie Formby, calling for an online poll to guide policy. “There are only two possible ways forward for the country from here: a different Brexit deal or stopping Brexit,” says the letter, seen by the Guardian. If Labour’s amendment fails to secure the backing of MPs on Tuesday “there will be no other way to avoid catastrophe (of a no-deal or a May-deal Brexit) than holding a public vote,” it says. – Guardian Sajid Javid confirms ‘unlimited numbers’ of EU migrants will still be able to enter the UK for up to three years after Brexit even if there is No Deal Unlimited numbers of EU migrants will still be able to come to Britain for up to three years even if there is no deal, the Government admitted last night. Sajid Javid said that citizens from the bloc would be allowed to enter the UK to visit, work or study after Brexit day on March 29. Outlining immigration arrangements for ‘no deal’, the Home Secretary said he was committed to honouring the referendum result by ending free movement. But some critics warned that the latest proposals, set out as MPs debated the long-awaited Immigration Bill, risked betraying the hopes of those who wanted to dramatically curb migration. For a 21-month transitional period, EU citizens and their families – plus those from Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein – will be able to visit for three months at a time without a visa. If they want to stay longer than three months, they will need to apply for permission and receive a new immigration status which is valid for three years – European Temporary Leave to Remain. – Daily Mail Home Office to scrap free-movement transition under no-deal Brexit – FT (£) Brexiteer tycoon James Dyson ‘moved business to Singapore over fears of a Jeremy Corbyn government’ Brexiteer James Dyson moved his multi-billion pound empire out of Britain because of his fears about a Jeremy Corbyn government, insiders have claimed. The vacuum cleaner announced last week he’s planning to move parts of his empire over to Asia for “commercial reasons”. But the vocal Leave supporter was said to have been worried about the Labour boss’ views on business. One source told the Sunday Times: “A general election is not out of the question, nor a Corbyn victory, and James and Jeremy Corbyn have diametrically opposed views on business.” Mr Dyson, 71, said the move from Wiltshire had nothing to do with Brexit at all – and said the company’s growth lies in Asia. But critics said it was hypocritical of him to announce to leave just weeks before we quit the EU. The HQ and several senior members of staff will up sticks and relocate to Singapore in the next few months. – The Sun Ministry of Defence prepares defences against bids for work from EU The UK is stepping up preparations for a no-deal Brexit by proposing a change in the law under which EU-based companies would no longer have the automatic right to bid for British defence and security contracts worth billions of pounds. Under the current EU regime, companies from the bloc, as well as Norway and Iceland, are entitled to bid for Ministry of Defence orders such as warships, missiles or ammunition. But with the possibility of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal on March 29 looming large because parliament is deadlocked over Brexit, the MoD has tabled draft legislation that would mean only companies based in the UK and Gibraltar had the automatic right to bid. The move is part of a wider push across Whitehall departments to prepare for a no-deal Brexit. – FT (£) Bernard Jenkin: The PM’s way forward is clear – ditch the backstop and return to Brussels In Brussels, unicorns are not just magical horses with large, straight horns. Across the Channel, the word has taken on a new life – signifying Brexit demands that the EU deems impossible for ideological or logistical reasons. But last week, the EU revealed that the need for the backstop – the all-weather fail-safe supposedly acting as the last remaining guarantor of a soft Irish border – is itself one of these mythological beasts. The latest row came after the EU Commission’s spokesman contradicted the Irish government by saying that a hard border would “obviously” come into effect without a withdrawal agreement with the EU. Shortly after, Michel Barnier went against him, admitting that there could be “an operational way of carrying out checks and controls without putting back in place a border”. The issue was put into plain English by this newspaper’s correspondent James Crisp, who witheringly asked the Commission: “If there are ways to avoid a hard border in a no deal scenario… why do we need the backstop?” The Commission had no response. – Bernard Jenkin MP for the Telegraph (£) Graham Brady: My amendment is still the best way to ensure that we get a proper Brexit In the Commons today, MPs will debate and vote on a bewildering variety of Brexit-related amendments. There is an eccentric idea that an elected parliament should pass the tricky business of leaving the EU to an unelected ‘Citizens’ Assembly’; a proposal to change fundamental planks of the constitution for one day, apparently with the intention that no precedent would be set, and no future insurgent would use it to make government impossible; there is the proposition that if something hasn’t been agreed within the statutory two-year period, the way to get people really to knuckle down is to keep extending their deadline. There’s also the crazy idea that the Government’s negotiating hand would be strengthened by guaranteeing to the other side that we will agree whatever the price. Some of these amendments look more innocuous than others but they are all in their different ways attempts to subvert the referendum decision. In normal times, this manoeuvring could be swept aside by the Government, but with no overall majority and significant uncertainty about whether normal rules of procedure can be relied upon, there are real grounds for concern that centuries of respect for democracy and the rule of law may be tipped into the bin. – Sir Graham Brady MP for ConservativeHome Matthew Elliott: With just a dash of flexibility, the Brexit endgame is in sight For me, as a Brexiteer, it is important that the Cooper amendment fails. The Prime Minister requires the no-deal option to be on the table to maximise her leverage in the negotiations. After all, the EU team would have no incentive to improve the terms of the withdrawal agreement if they knew that the UK government would be prevented by parliament from walking away. In contrast, if the Brady amendment is approved, the EU should recall the flexibility shown towards Denmark in the early 1990s, when the Maastricht Treaty was defeated in a referendum by 50.7 per cent of voters. In response, the EU added a legally binding protocol onto the Treaty to reassure Danes on a variety of subjects. The Treaty then passed by 56.8 per cent. The EU should follow suit on the Irish backstop. Some Brexiteers will point out that the Irish backstop is just one of many concerns they have with the withdrawal agreement. This is justified, but they must balance their pursuit of perfection against the practical reality that parliament could well stop Brexit in its tracks. The Cooper amendment demonstrates that. – Matthew Elliott for City A.M. Oliver Wright: Why Theresa May is banking on the Brady bunch Theresa May has two objectives tomorrow when MPs get to vote on Brexit — the trouble is both are fraught with difficulty. The first is to try and stop MPs voting to take control of the Brexit process themselves. To do this a cross-party amendment proposed by Yvette Cooper which has the backing of at least two former Conservative cabinet ministers must be defeated. The Cooper amendment would hand parliament the power to request an extension of Article 50 — even if such a move was opposed by the prime minister. It would also signal to Brussels that Mrs May has lost control of the Brexit process and make it far less likely that the EU will make any kind of meaningful concessions on the Irish border. The second, even trickier objective is to try and use the votes tomorrow to show that, if Brussels is prepared to make concessions on the backstop, there is a deal that can unite the warring Tory party. To achieve this Conservative whips appear to be quietly backing an amendment proposed by Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the powerful backbench 1922 Committee. This amendment states that parliament would back the deal with the EU if the Northern Ireland backstop were “replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border”. – Oliver Wright for The Times (£) David Campbell Bannerman: A ‘freedom clause’ is just the start of what we Brexiteers need in Mrs May’s Brexit deal Today, we Conservative MEPs meet the Prime Minister and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay in Number 10. We have not been ‘summoned’, I hasten to reassure. This is one of our quite routine get-togethers. But it happens to be the day before the all important brace of diverse and bizarre amendments to be put on Tuesday. I intend to present here a one page basic Free Trade Agreement which a leading Cambridge law expert, Dr Lorand Bartels, who is strictly neutral on Brexit but is an expert in this area, has supplied as enough to trigger the escape clause of Article 24 of GATT (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade now incorporated under the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) set of global rules). Article 24 allows the UK. and EU to enter a ‘managed no deal’ arrangement where tariffs and quotas can be kept at zero whilst we negotiate a full blown free trade agreement along the lines of the ‘SuperCanada’ FTA as I have long advocated. – David Campbell Bannerman MEP for the Telegraph (£) Nick Timothy: Sir Graham Brady’s Brexit vote is the last chance to defuse the bomb that will wreck PM’s plan It is squeaky bum time in Westminster, as the clock ticks and we get closer to March 29, the date Britain is due to leave the EU. With the deadlock among MPs still not broken, nobody knows for sure what will happen. Theresa May says Brexit must go ahead on time. But she also says Britain will not leave the EU without a deal. And her deal — the only one on the table at this late stage — was defeated in the House of Commons by a record majority just two weeks ago. Tonight’s Brexit votes are not quite the final shoot-out between the different factions in Parliament. The Government has promised that MPs will vote soon on a new plan. Remainers and soft Brexit supporters in government are pushing to hold that vote as soon as possible. And MPs — backed by a Speaker who will rewrite any Commons rules to soften or stop Brexit — will force more votes on what happens next. Nevertheless, tonight’s votes do matter. – Nick Timothy for The Sun William Hague: Our European friends are taking a huge risk if they abandon Mrs May Whatever happens in the Commons on Tuesday evening, Theresa May is likely to be going back to EU leaders with a request for some serious help. Either Sir Graham Brady will carry his amendment calling for the infamous “backstop” to be sorted out some other way, or Yvette Cooper will succeed in laying out a timetable that leads to the postponement of Brexit in the absence of a deal. Or perhaps nothing at all will be carried, but with less than 60 days to go to March 29, the Cabinet will finally fall apart when faced with a looming no-deal Brexit. One way or another, the Prime Minister can only avert a final meltdown if the EU decides to give her some meaningful assistance. To be useful, such assistance would have to have legal force, whereas the EU’s current position is that it can only change the aspirational “political declaration”, not the proposed treaty. It would have to place a time limit on the backstop, as helpfully suggested by the Polish foreign minister, or allow the UK to withdraw from it if it threatened to become permanent. That could be done in an addendum, a codicil, or a legal instrument – adding to the deal rather than amending it. – Lord Hague for the Telegraph (£) Owen Paterson: Time for Labour to deliver the Brexit people demand Holding referendums in the UK used to be a simple exercise. Parliament proclaimed an Establishment View; the people politely and obediently agreed. But the referendum on our membership of the EU was different. Despite the Government writing to every household urging them to vote Remain, despite dire warnings – since shown to be unfounded – from the political, commercial and media Establishments of what would happen should we disobey, 17.4 million people voted to Leave – more than have ever voted for anything else in British history. This poses a constitutional conundrum. How should the Establishment respond when, for the first time, the democratic vote has contradicted its view? The only way to resolve this is by honouring the decision, swiftly and in full. Frustrating the democratic will would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our democratic institutions. That is why the Commons – including 167 Labour MPs – overwhelmingly voted to trigger Article 50 by a majority of 384. – Owen Paterson MP for the Express Norman Tebbit: Scaremongering Remainers are responsible for so much of the ill-will over Brexit Both the Queen herself and the Archbishop of Canterbury have spoken of the need to avoid disagreements in political debates creating a divisive and rancorous society. Would that they had been present in the House of Lords last Thursday when the Remainers were out in force, trying to alarm diabetics with the prospect that following a no deal Brexit they might well be unable to obtain the insulin needed to keep them alive. Just who, I wondered, were the evil people who might be planning such a despicable revenge should the British people regain their independence in a no deal Brexit on March 29? Surely not the manufacturers (mainly in Denmark). After all, such a policy would damage their businesses. Did the Labour and Lib Dem frontbenchers who were leading the pack think that the men in power in Brussels would set out kill British diabetics in revenge for Brexit? Surely not even the most hard line Brexiteers would entertain such a thought. But it was a perfect example of the rancour which concerns both the Queen and the Archbishop. – Lord Tebbit for the Telegraph (£) Jon Moynihan: Millennials, your views on Brexit are not set in stone In the 1970s, those of us who are now 70 were in our early 20s. Guess what? We had a referendum then, and we voted to stay in the EU (or, I should more properly say, the Common Market). Why? Well, we were young and idealistic. It all sounded very hopeful. In 1975, even Margaret Thatcher had a woolly jacket with all the EU flags on it, and promoted membership (of the Common Market, of course, not of the political and economic project that has become the EU). But now, those very same young people who voted to stay in the Common Market in 1975 have become the 60- and 70- year olds who voted to Leave in 2016. Why do you think that was? Is it so very difficult for you to understand that that same maturation process that we all went through, that made us change our mind, may, possibly quite soon, anyway sooner or later, happen with you too? – Jon Moynihan for CapX Brexit in Brief The Government must provide Brexit clarity – Telegraph (£) A second Brexit referendum would not benefit the EU – Henry Newman for the Guardian New migration policy causes stress for Labour – John Redwood’s Diary A backstop freedom clause could be enough for Brexiteer MPs to back Theresa May’s deal. But it shouldn’t – Andrew Lilico for the Telegraph (£) May’s deal on rocks as ERG reject backstop plan – Katy Balls for The Spectator UK Home Office will seek to end free movement in case of no-deal Brexit – Reuters