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It makes no sense at all. Presumably the gambit is to say "well look, we'd love to sign off on this agreement we've done, but Parliament have told us that we need it to look more like this". That only works (and even then still probably doesn't) if you haven't whipped your MPs to vote for the thing you need to claim has been forced on you. As for Labour - if they don't back the Cooper amendment, they are refusing to support the thing that they themselves were insisting the Government do a fortnight ago. It's thoroughly embarrassing stuff.

Soylent Green was set in 2022. Just saying.

It's not like people weren't aware of it at the time of the vote - it was written on the bus after all.

Irritable Duncan Syndrome strikes again

Yeah, but GATT XXIV. Check-mate (obviously not really)

The transcript is on the Spectator website as well.

Nah. It's be because of diesel. Or China. Or Amazon. Or something.

I listened to that last night, you're right - he's very good.

But then a former Tory voter voting Lib Dem doesn't necessarily mean it's a returned Lib Dem MP. In those constituencies with small majorities, a thousand switching to Lib Dem and another thousand just staying at home could be thing that pushes Labour from second to first. I guess the gamble both are taking is which party wins the race to piss off as few of it's remain voters as they can. I thought it was interesting, as pretty much everything on the subject we've heard is all about Labour's fractured support all wanting different things - but the other side have a similar issue.

Looks like it's not just Labour who need to be worried about keeping their fragile coalition of voters together.

Just because it bears repeating:

Oh absolutely. I'm prepared to be charitable in this case. We're not going to be short on things to complain about in the weeks to come so will give her a pass on this getting the right result here eventually.

May confirms that the £65 / £32.50 for kids fee for settled status is being scrapped reimbursed to those who have paid already. Which is commendable, so good job on her / them for doing it.

Yeah, I watched that last week. While he's right in all the things he says, he could be better at not sounding like a smug Representative for Wellingborough* while saying it as he's unlikely to convince anyone not already convinced. I'm target audience to agree with everything he says, but all I can think is JUST STOP INTERRUPTING. *poster's own lack of self-awareness noted Edit- not come across that word-filter before.

An element is safety, but you're right in your insinuation that a large amount is European markets protecting themselves from outside competition. But while the Telegraph et al choose to interpret that as "protecting inefficient French farmers", they're also the protectionist rules that sustain British agriculture and manufacturing. And keep people buying British chickens for £5 rather than US chickens for £3.50. So if that is the route we're going down (and it's certainly the route favoured by most of the Conservative leavers I've seen quoted on the subject), there needs to be a bit more honestly from the likes of Mogg and his mates about what it means for UK farms and businesses.

You're probably correct. But what is the consequence of that? Last year the UK exported around £200m of fresh and frozen poultry meat, most of it to Europe. If we say "we're happy to allow this and let the consumer choose", those exports stop. If there is a risk of substandard (by European terms) product coming in and no regulatory control over it then it just won't go over. So UK poultry farmers now have the twin impact of added competition on price domestically, and their largest export market closed to them overnight. So apart from a few organic producers selling to corn-fed birds to farm shops, who is buying millions of pounds worth of British poultry now?

Please let me know if you find one, I'm feeling pretty politically lost at the moment and could do with a pointer.

It might get weird even before then. Given how big Mogg and his gang have been on "we just want her to implement the manifesto we were elected on", it'll be interesting to see the hardcore crowd on either side square their consciences with standing on a 2019 Theresa May Brexit election manifesto.

Boles was in hot water with his constituency because he basically insinuated that he would vote to bring the Government down if that's what it took to prevent no deal. Leaving "with a deal or not at all" were his words in Parliament if I recall rightly. I'm guessing that CCPs aren't too fond of hearing their MPs threaten to bring down a Tory Government.

It'll be a complete sh*t-show. Every group of half a dozen MPs, convinced that their way is correct, giving little concern to whether it will be acceptable across the Channel and squabbling in the Commons because their fantasy Canada SuperDoublePlus deal is better than somebody else's fantasy NorwayExtraSmooth deal. And ignoring that every single one of their schemes will still involve a backstop and a withdrawal agreement nearly identical to the one they just rejected. May's been utterly hopeless, but at least she realises that the withdrawal agreement and backstop is there whatever type of Brexit happens. Seems that nobody else has read that memo.

It would be fitting given where we are now that every single constituency votes the same as 2017 and returns the exact same result.

More excellent work from Tom Peck (Yes, it's a digger)

I dunno. Have you seen how many of the characters in Reservoir Dogs make it through to the end of the film? (disclaimer - yes, I know that jokes about violence and MPs are obviously a terrible thing. And still shouldn't be made flippantly. But still.)

I think option two isn't quite what option two would actually be. If we take as wrote that the thing that stops it getting through the Commons is the backstop (as most MPs claim is their main objection), that will still be there under a renegotiation. So there's not much point renegotiating. Let's say May caves, and agrees to all of Labour's fantasy demands which are then agreed by the EU27 - the backstop still won't be leaving the withdrawal agreement.