Brexit. Why do Brits want Out of the EU?

Her spokesman said Ms May “doesn’t believe the vote today is about who leads the party to the next election.

"It’s about whether it’s sensible to change leader at this point in [Brexit] negotiations."

The words suggest Ms May could tell MPs in the meetings that she is willing to stand down before the next election, if they allow her to complete the Brexit negotiations and take the country out of the EU on March 29.

The Conservatives have handed the party whip back to a suspended MP just in time for him to take in tonight's vote of no confidence in Theresa May.

Andrew Griffiths, who was suspended in July after bombarding a female constituent with thousands of messages, has been told he will be readmitted and allowed to take part in the ballot.

The married MP apologised after it was revealed that he had sent the 28-year-old constituent 2000 texts, including many of an explicit nature.

He was readmitted to the party on Wednesday as Tory whips seek to secure every possible vote to guarantee Ms May's future.

I think, it will be 100 MPs to 120 MPs to vote against May tonight. And that would be enough to damage her severely going into the EU talks tomorrow.

Civil servants across Whitehall have been instructed to ramp up their emergency no-deal planning, with preparations including hiring staff for a 24-hour “emergency centre”.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), one of those likely to be worst hit by a no-deal Brexit, has advertised 90 new posts for civil servants to staff a crisis centre. The centre is being set up to plan for and manage “the reasonable scenario of no deal”, the job advert says.

The EU Exit Emergencies Centre is intended to be a temporary measure for three to six months. Staff will be expected to work shifts, to be on call 24/7 and will be trained in multiple roles, according to the job description.
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Theresa May has been told to return to parliament and find a way to break the Brexit logjam after she failed to convince EU leaders in Brussels that she had a credible plan to win round MPs.

An appeal from the prime minister for a final concession on Thursday night failed to impress the 27 heads of state and government. The European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, described the British debate as “nebulous” and told May to come back to them with a clear plan.

Video footage of the leaders gathering for Friday morning’s talks captured May in a frosty exchange with Juncker, who appeared to be trying to calm a clearly angered prime minister.

Arriving for the second day of the summit, leaders reiterated they would not renegotiate the deal on the table, and made a direct appeal to British MPs to be “responsible” and offer a way out of the impasse.

Denmark’s prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said the EU was being “as flexible as we can be. I think it is now up to the British to come together and create a kind of national consensus in order to tell us exactly what to do to get this through the British parliament.”

The prime minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, said the discussions with May had been an “honest exchange”.

“Theresa May is clear, but the fact is that Westminster is not that clear. So we know what Theresa wants, and she wants the best possible deal in Westminster, but the problem is the MPs in London,” he said.

“For internal political reasons some people want to gamble with the relations between the European Union and the UK for the future, and it is bad.”
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LONDON (Reuters) - Most of British Prime Minister Theresa May’s senior ministers think her Brexit plan is dead and are discussing different options including a second referendum, The Times newspaper reported.

May, who said on Friday that she hoped to get further assurances about her plan from European Union leaders despite a fruitless trip to Brussels, was likely to be faced with opposing demands from ministers next week, the newspaper said.

One group of ministers, including Amber Rudd, the work and pensions minister, and finance minister Philip Hammond, was leaning reluctantly toward backing a second referendum if all other options are exhausted, it said.

Another group, including environment minister Michael Gove and interior minister Sajid Javid, was opposed to the idea of a second referendum, with Gove favoring a closer, Norway-style relationship with the EU after Brexit.

Other ministers including foreign minister Jeremy Hunt were willing to risk leaving the EU without a deal, the report said.

May’s plan, agreed with EU leaders last month, is opposed by many lawmakers in her own Conservative Party who fear it will leave Britain trapped in the bloc’s orbit. May has said rejection of her plan would risk Britain leaving the EU with no deal to smooth the economic shock or not leaving at all.

I have to say—Juncker’s response was sexist. Old bastard.

“What did you call me? You called me nebulous,” according to lip-reading experts.

The EU chief’s response could not be established, but the prime minister appeared to add: “Yes you did, nebulous.”

Mr Juncker said: “No I didn’t, I didn’t.”