Theresa May commits to votes on no-deal Brexit or Article 50 extension
Theresa May has promised MPs votes on a no-deal Brexit or a delay to Brexit, if the House of Commons once again rejects her EU withdrawal agreement. The prime minister vowed to give MPs the chance to express their consent for either outcome should they vote down her revised Brexit deal, which she has pledged to bring back to the Commons by 12 March. Last month, MPs overwhelmingly rejected her agreement with Brussels and - if this were to happen again - they will now get a vote on whether to support the UK leaving the EU without a divorce deal by 13 March. If the Commons rejects a no-deal Brexit, which is likely, MPs will then get a vote on a "short, limited extension" to the Article 50 period by 14 March. This would postpone Brexit beyond the UK's scheduled departure date of 29 March, although Mrs May argued a "one-off" extension to the Article 50 period - for negotiating Britain's exit - could only last to the end of June. If it was any longer, this would compel the UK to take part in this year's European Parliament elections, she said.
‘Simples!’ Theresa May quotes Aleksandr the Meerkat during Commons Brexit debate
Theresa May caused uproar in the House of Commons and on Twitter on Tuesday when she quoted a TV meerkat. When making a point about Brexit, the prime minster channelled Aleksandr Meerkat, the star of the Compare the Market adverts, by quoting his catchphrase. She ended a response to an MP’s question with the meerkat’s phrase, “Simples”. The quote led to howls of derision in Parliament and howls of laughter on Twitter.
During the debate, Mrs May was asked by SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford why the clock was still being run down on Brexit. She replied: “We are in talks with the EU and we’re talking about the issues this House required. “If he wants to end the uncertainty and deal with the issues he raised, then he should vote for a deal. Simples.”Mrs May was ridiculed for her quote on Twitter. ITV political editor Robert Peston wrote: “Why oh why did @theresa_may say “simples” to @IanBlackfordMP. Profoundly upsetting”. Politicians said they were “stunned” by the quote, with Labour MP Rupa Huq tweeting: “Theresa Meerkat just stunned the Commons by Maybot malfunction in stating it’s her deal or no deal then concluding ‘simples’.”
What just happened? "Simples", the prime minister said (yes, actually seeming to quote a meerkat from a TV advert, welcome to 2019 everyone). But, if you are finding it not quite so "simples" to work out what's changed in Westminster today, I don't blame you. Something has changed and, at the same time, not that much has. No 10 believed that they were going to lose a vote in the Commons on Wednesday on a plan put forward by Labour's Yvette Cooper. Under that plan, the government would have been forced to put the brakes on Brexit if their compromise deal with the EU was rejected again by Parliament next month. And, on top of that, it would have given MPs more say over what happens next, designed with the specific aim of giving Parliament a breathing space to pursue consensus for a softer Brexit - a closer relationship with the EU than the PM has agreed.
Add to that pressure, a fair number of ministers were willing to resign if Theresa May didn't say, "OK, if the choice is leaving without a deal, or delaying, I'll delay". Remember, that's a question that she has avoided for months and months and months, because she regards the promise to leave as planned on 29 March as a solemn one she made to the electorate. And also, because she believed that being willing to walk away without a deal has been an important element of her negotiating stance. As the law stands too, the default is that we leave, whatever happens. But if MPs were going to force her to rule out leaving on time without a deal by trying to change the law, the choice for the prime minister this week was: let the Commons inflict the defeat tomorrow or at least take the decision herself and try to stay in control of events
One cabinet source disappointed with the decision described it as an "unhappy, but maybe necessary" choice. What the Cabinet has therefore agreed to do - with one of those threatening to resign saying "it does the trick for now" - is set out a real showdown in the middle of next month. By 12 March - probably on 12 March, depending what goes on with the negotiations in Brussels - MPs will have another chance to vote on the PM's deal with the EU. Remember, last month it was kicked out with a thumping defeat. If the government loses that vote again, the next day, MPs will vote explicitly on whether we should leave the EU without a formal deal or not. The overwhelming expectation is that MPs collectively would say no to departure without a deal. If they did reject that idea, there would be another vote on 14 March. This time it would be on whether or not to extend the process for a short time - to delay Brexit for another couple of months while the government keeps trying to untangle the mess.
She is still insisting that she wants her deal to go through, stick to the timetable and leave at the end of March. But it is, after many months of promising that we'd leave as planned, the first time she has had to acknowledge it might run very late. And because Parliament would almost inevitably reject leaving without a deal at the end of March, it changes the choice for MPs in the next fortnight. No 10 has tried to make the case that MPs will have to choose between the PM's deal, or no deal. Now it's a choice between her deal, no deal, or delay. Her move today does not change the law and make it impossible for us to leave without a deal at any point. There's also a really fundamental question about what an extension would actually achieve, when the government, the EU and MPs have been staring at the same set of problems for more than two years and haven't found a happy solution. The government won't say today what choice they would recommend at the end of March, or what they would do at the end of that extension - leaving with no formal arrangement in place at that point is still a possibility. But today's move does definitely mean one thing - it is now extremely unlikely that we will leave at the end of March without a deal, that much at least is "simples"
'SACK THEM' - FURIOUS Brexiteers demand May get rid of anti-Brexit Cabinet 'PLOTTERS' FURIOUS Tory MPs demanded the sacking of anti-Brexit “plotters” from the Cabinet last night after three pro-Brussels ministers forced Theresa May to accept that the UK’s departure from the EU could be delayed.
Higher food prices, huge passport queues and an extra £13bn in costs for 240,000 businesses: Government releases damning no-deal Brexit report hours after May insisted UK can 'make success of crashing out of EU'
Ahead of the publication of tonight's report Theresa May admitted it would be an 'honest assessment' of the 'serious challenges' facing Britain after no deal.
Leave voters won't have it': Corbyn is warned backing a second referendum would be 'catastrophic' for Labour as party insists no deal would NOT be on the ballot paper Jeremy Corbyn is under massive pressure from Remainer MPs and activists Labour leader shifted last night by saying party will back second referendum Party's Leave supporters warn the move is 'catastrophic' as voters will be furious Tensions seething over when vote would be held and what question would be
Brexit could be delayed by two years now option to extend Article 50 is on the table, Theresa May warned
B rexit could be delayed by up to two years, Cabinet ministers have warned Theresa May after she caved in to Europhile demands for a vote on extending Article 50. Remain-supporting ministers used the threat of mass resignations to force the Prime Minister into a climbdown on Tuesday as she effectively killed off the option of no deal. Mrs May announced a series of votes on her deal, no deal, and a delay, to be held in a fortnight, as she admitted for the first time that Britain might not leave the EU on March 29. Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the European Research Group of Brexit-supporting Tory MPs, suggested Mrs May risked being sucked into “a plot to stop Brexit” as he questioned the motives of...
A delay to Article 50 could mean Britain never breaks free from the EU - and the Brexit dream dies
How many times has Theresa May said we will be leaving the EU on March 29 whatever happens? The Prime Minister has been asked in the Commons, at news conferences, in TV and radio studios by MPs, interviewers and voters to restate this one basic ambition and has emphatically and consistently repeated that there will be no delay to the Article 50 timetable. Only now there probably will be. The Prime Minister will put her deal plus changes to the Irish backstop – assuming they have been conceded by then – back to the Commons on March 12. If it falls, MPs will vote the next day to take no deal off the table; and if that succeeds, another vote will be held on March 14 to extend Article 50. I use Mrs...
How Brexit delay caused Cabinet tempers to rise with Remainers accused of 'appalling disloyalty'
Andrea Leadsom could barely conceal her anger. Turning to Remain ministers around the Cabinet table who had campaigned publicly for a Brexit delay, she said their behaviour was "appalling and disloyal". The Leader of the Commons appeared close to tears as she accused Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark of breaching collective responsibility, damaging the reputation of Cabinet and the Conservative Party in doing so. It came after the Prime Minister was forced to bow to pressure over Article 50 after the trio of ministers threatened to resign over the issue along with as many as 15 other Remain ministers. In a microcosm of the clashes in Cabinet that resulted, Ms Leadsom was seated next to Claire...
Labour MPs have criticised their colleague Chris Williamson for saying the party has been "too apologetic" over anti-Semitism. In footage published by the Yorkshire Post, Mr Williamson, who is a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, told activists Labour was being "demonised as a racist, bigoted party". Deputy leader Tom Watson said he had been "deliberately inflammatory". The BBC has approached Mr Williamson and the Labour Party for comment. Labour has struggled to contain a long-running row over claims of anti-Semitism - hostility or prejudice directed against Jewish people - within its ranks. Nine MPs quit the party last week, criticising the leadership's handling of the issue. One of them, Luciana Berger tweeted in response to the Williamson video, saying: "This is what I have left behind. It's toxic. Our country deserves so much better.
At an event in Sheffield last week - organised by grassroots Corbyn-supporting campaign group Momentum - MP for Derby North Mr Williamson said: "The party that has done more to stand up to racism is now being demonised as a racist, bigoted party. "I have got to say I think our party's response has been partly responsible for that because in my opinion… we have backed off far too much, we have given too much ground, we have been too apologetic." Amid applause from the audience, he went on to say: "We've done more to address the scourge of anti-Semitism than any political party." Momentum has not responded to the BBC's request for comment.
On Tuesday, Labour officials criticised Mr Williamson for booking a room in Parliament for a screening of a film about anti-Semitism and the activist Jackie Walker. Ms Walker was suspended by Labour over allegedly anti-Semitic comments in 2016, and the documentary, Witch Hunt, looks at those and other allegations within the party. A Labour spokesman said: "It's completely inappropriate to book a room for an event about an individual who is suspended from the party and subject to ongoing disciplinary procedures. "This falls below the standards we expect of MPs." Stephen Doughty, Labour MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, said Mr Williamson's comments in the video were "unacceptable" and had "no place in our party". Mr Doughty added: "I have made clear to both the Leader's office and our whips that I expect urgent action to be taken."
Wes Streeting, Ilford North MP, commented on the Yorkshire Post's video too, saying: "Stomach-turning. No action will be taken." And his colleague Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, also expressed her unhappiness. Another, Neil Coyle, called on Momentum and the Labour Party to do something, saying "Actions speak louder than words."
Strong views and intense emotions came to the surface during yesterday's cabinet discussions on Brexit, according to reports across the papers. The Daily Telegraph says the Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom, was "on the brink of tears" as she confronted mutinous Remainer colleagues who were threatening to resign. She is said to have accused ministers Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark of "appalling and disloyal" behaviour as they forced the prime minister into opening the way for a delay to Brexit. One cabinet observer, quoted by the Financial Times, described Mrs Leadsom's attack on the three as "vicious".
'Cornered'
The prime minister, meanwhile, has written a piece in the Daily Mail urging MPs to "hold their nerve" and "do their duty" by backing her deal to leave so that the country can move forward. She insists progress is being made on securing changes to the Irish backstop - designed to avoid customs checks along the border - and that "a deal is within our grasp". The Daily Mirror thinks Mrs May is "cornered" and that "it's too late for this weak prime minister to take back control". Across the Channel, French newspaper Liberation believes Theresa May hasn't solved anything by raising the possibility of a delay - and that Brexit could still be "brutal". Spain's El Pais says she has given up her main negotiating weapon against Brussels - the possibility of an imminent no-deal departure
Jeremy Corbyn on alert for shadow ministerial resignations over second referendum
Jeremy Corbyn is facing the threat of shadow ministerial resignations en masse over his decision to back a second referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union. The Labour leader's belated support for another vote on Brexit has sparked a fresh row within the party, prompting fears that several junior ministers could quit in protest over the move. A shadow Cabinet source told i that the shift in policy meant there were now fears a 'number of the junior shadow front bench could walk, which is a concern'.
Ministerial abstentions
It means Mr Corbyn's team will be keeping a close eye on shadow ministers, such as Tracy Brabin, Gloria de Piero, Mike Kane, Melanie Onn, Judith Cummins, Yvonne Fovargue, Emma Lewell-Buck and Jim McMahon all of whom abstained on a Yvette Cooper's bid to extend Article 5o last month. Several members of Mr Corbyn's top team clashed over the plans during yesterday's weekly shadow Cabinet meeting amid concerns it could cause severe electoral damage in Labour heartlands. The proposals, which were strongly defended by deputy leader Tom Watson, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, would mean going back to the public with a choice between a 'credible' option to Leave versus Remain.
Confirming the plans in the Commons, Mr Corbyn said: "The Prime Minister's botched deal provides no certainty or guarantees for the future and was comprehensively rejected by this House. "We cannot risk our country's industry and people's livelihoods and so if it somehow does pass in some form at a later stage, we believe there must be a confirmatory public vote to see if people feel it is what they voted for." It came after leave-supporting Labour MP John Mann warned the move would be "catastrophic to Labour in the Midlands and the north".
"Our manifesto was unambiguous, we would accept the result of the referendum. A second referendum doesn't do that and the voters - in very, very large numbers - will not accept that," he told the BBC. Ignoring voters The move is also opposed by several high-profile backbenchers, such as former minister Caroline Flint, Lucy Powell and Stephen Kinnock. Ms Flint warned the party must not 'ignore millions of Labour voters' by supporting a second referendum. Another backbencher, Gareth Snell, MP for Stoke on Trent told Mr Corbyn in the Commons: 'For the record, I will not and shall not and cannot vote for a second referendum no matter how much lipstick is put on it.'
Jacob Rees-Mogg softens position on Theresa May’s Brexit deal
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the head of the leading Eurosceptic faction of Conservative MPs, has softened his opposition to Theresa May’s Brexit deal, amid rising hopes in Downing Street that the prime minister might win approval for a revised agreement next month. Mr Rees-Mogg, told the Financial Times that he was no longer insisting that the contentious “Irish backstop” be scrapped as a condition for his support for Mrs May’s deal and was prepared to consider other legal fixes to ensure it did not become permanent. “I think people are rather struck by her doggedness and don’t want to stand up and take a potshot at her,” he said of the prime minister he sought to unseat as leader of the Conservative party last year.
No-deal Brexit panic after ministers realise the UK doesn't have the right pallets for exporting to the EU
Michael Gove's environment department is set to a hold an emergency meeting with business leaders on Tuesday. They will discuss emergency no-deal Brexit plans after the government confirmed last week that it does not have enough pallets - structures used to transport goods - for UK companies to export to the EU in a no-deal Brexit. The extraordinary admission left affected industry leaders baffled. Labour criticised the "incompetency and lack of forward planning." Theresa May is under intense pressure to stop the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
LONDON - The UK government is due to hold emergency talks with industry leaders today after discovering that the country doesn't have the right pallets to continue exporting goods to the European Union if it leaves without a deal next month. Pallets are wooden or plastic structures which companies use to transport large volumes of goods. Under strict EU rules, pallets arriving from non-member states must be heat-treated or cleaned to prevent contamination, and have specific markings to confirm they meet a series of standards. Brexit in-depth: All the latest news, analysis and expert opinion Most pallets currently used by British exporters do not conform to the rules which non-EU countries or "third countries" adhere to, as EU member states follow a much more relaxed set of regulations.
Brexit: Contract for shipping NHS supplies given to firm behind KFC chicken shortage
Ministers have handed a contract for shipping critical NHS supplies in the event of a no deal Brexit to the firm behind the KFC chicken shortage fiasco. The Mirror has learned that a Government logistics hub in Belgium will rely on delivery firm DHL to transport some key goods across the Channel. The fast food chain was forced to temporarily close hundreds of outlets last year following the botched handover of its logistics contract to DHL. MPs criticised the decision to rely on the firm to provide potentially life-saving drugs and equipment if the UK leaves without a deal. Related: Germany promises ‘better pay, weather and food’ to tempt NHS staff post-Brexit Whitehall insiders said the hub was just one way that medical products would be brought into the country in a no deal scenario. The goods are understood to be those requested by hospitals on a 24 to 72 hour time frame and could include cancer drugs and radio isotopes which require refrigeration.
Comments
Theresa May has promised MPs votes on a no-deal Brexit or a delay to Brexit, if the House of Commons once again rejects her EU withdrawal agreement.
The prime minister vowed to give MPs the chance to express their consent for either outcome should they vote down her revised Brexit deal, which she has pledged to bring back to the Commons by 12 March.
Last month, MPs overwhelmingly rejected her agreement with Brussels and - if this were to happen again - they will now get a vote on whether to support the UK leaving the EU without a divorce deal by 13 March.
If the Commons rejects a no-deal Brexit, which is likely, MPs will then get a vote on a "short, limited extension" to the Article 50 period by 14 March.
This would postpone Brexit beyond the UK's scheduled departure date of 29 March, although Mrs May argued a "one-off" extension to the Article 50 period - for negotiating Britain's exit - could only last to the end of June.
If it was any longer, this would compel the UK to take part in this year's European Parliament elections, she said.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/theresa-may-commits-votes-no-163800270.html
Theresa May caused uproar in the House of Commons and on Twitter on Tuesday when she quoted a TV meerkat.
When making a point about Brexit, the prime minster channelled Aleksandr Meerkat, the star of the Compare the Market adverts, by quoting his catchphrase.
She ended a response to an MP’s question with the meerkat’s phrase, “Simples”.
The quote led to howls of derision in Parliament and howls of laughter on Twitter.
During the debate, Mrs May was asked by SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford why the clock was still being run down on Brexit.
She replied: “We are in talks with the EU and we’re talking about the issues this House required.
“If he wants to end the uncertainty and deal with the issues he raised, then he should vote for a deal. Simples.”Mrs May was ridiculed for her quote on Twitter.
ITV political editor Robert Peston wrote: “Why oh why did @theresa_may say “simples” to @IanBlackfordMP. Profoundly upsetting”.
Politicians said they were “stunned” by the quote, with Labour MP Rupa Huq tweeting: “Theresa Meerkat just stunned the Commons by Maybot malfunction in stating it’s her deal or no deal then concluding ‘simples’.”
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/simples-theresa-may-quotes-aleksandr-meerkat-commons-brexit-debate-145207980.html
What just happened? "Simples", the prime minister said (yes, actually seeming to quote a meerkat from a TV advert, welcome to 2019 everyone).
But, if you are finding it not quite so "simples" to work out what's changed in Westminster today, I don't blame you.
Something has changed and, at the same time, not that much has.
No 10 believed that they were going to lose a vote in the Commons on Wednesday on a plan put forward by Labour's Yvette Cooper.
Under that plan, the government would have been forced to put the brakes on Brexit if their compromise deal with the EU was rejected again by Parliament next month.
And, on top of that, it would have given MPs more say over what happens next, designed with the specific aim of giving Parliament a breathing space to pursue consensus for a softer Brexit - a closer relationship with the EU than the PM has agreed.
Add to that pressure, a fair number of ministers were willing to resign if Theresa May didn't say, "OK, if the choice is leaving without a deal, or delaying, I'll delay".
Remember, that's a question that she has avoided for months and months and months, because she regards the promise to leave as planned on 29 March as a solemn one she made to the electorate.
And also, because she believed that being willing to walk away without a deal has been an important element of her negotiating stance.
As the law stands too, the default is that we leave, whatever happens.
But if MPs were going to force her to rule out leaving on time without a deal by trying to change the law, the choice for the prime minister this week was: let the Commons inflict the defeat tomorrow or at least take the decision herself and try to stay in control of events
One cabinet source disappointed with the decision described it as an "unhappy, but maybe necessary" choice.
What the Cabinet has therefore agreed to do - with one of those threatening to resign saying "it does the trick for now" - is set out a real showdown in the middle of next month.
By 12 March - probably on 12 March, depending what goes on with the negotiations in Brussels - MPs will have another chance to vote on the PM's deal with the EU.
Remember, last month it was kicked out with a thumping defeat.
If the government loses that vote again, the next day, MPs will vote explicitly on whether we should leave the EU without a formal deal or not.
The overwhelming expectation is that MPs collectively would say no to departure without a deal.
If they did reject that idea, there would be another vote on 14 March. This time it would be on whether or not to extend the process for a short time - to delay Brexit for another couple of months while the government keeps trying to untangle the mess.
She is still insisting that she wants her deal to go through, stick to the timetable and leave at the end of March.
But it is, after many months of promising that we'd leave as planned, the first time she has had to acknowledge it might run very late.
And because Parliament would almost inevitably reject leaving without a deal at the end of March, it changes the choice for MPs in the next fortnight.
No 10 has tried to make the case that MPs will have to choose between the PM's deal, or no deal. Now it's a choice between her deal, no deal, or delay.
Her move today does not change the law and make it impossible for us to leave without a deal at any point.
There's also a really fundamental question about what an extension would actually achieve, when the government, the EU and MPs have been staring at the same set of problems for more than two years and haven't found a happy solution.
The government won't say today what choice they would recommend at the end of March, or what they would do at the end of that extension - leaving with no formal arrangement in place at that point is still a possibility.
But today's move does definitely mean one thing - it is now extremely unlikely that we will leave at the end of March without a deal, that much at least is "simples"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47376459
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1092502/bbc-news-brexit-news-labour-second-referendum-no-deal-keir-starmer-nick-robinson-video
FURIOUS Tory MPs demanded the sacking of anti-Brexit “plotters” from the Cabinet last night after three pro-Brussels ministers forced Theresa May to accept that the UK’s departure from the EU could be delayed.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1092881/brexit-news-latest-theresa-may-brexit-delay-sack-cabinet-ministers-jacob-rees-mogg
Ahead of the publication of tonight's report Theresa May admitted it would be an 'honest assessment' of the 'serious challenges' facing Britain after no deal.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6748155/Government-warns-200-000-firms-trade-EU-NOT-ready-no-deal-Brexit.html
Jeremy Corbyn is under massive pressure from Remainer MPs and activists
Labour leader shifted last night by saying party will back second referendum
Party's Leave supporters warn the move is 'catastrophic' as voters will be furious
Tensions seething over when vote would be held and what question would be
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6745979/Labour-Brexiteers-warn-catastrophe-Corbyn-backs-fresh-referendum.html
B
rexit could be delayed by up to two years, Cabinet ministers have warned Theresa May after she caved in to Europhile demands for a vote on extending Article 50.
Remain-supporting ministers used the threat of mass resignations to force the Prime Minister into a climbdown on Tuesday as she effectively killed off the option of no deal.
Mrs May announced a series of votes on her deal, no deal, and a delay, to be held in a fortnight, as she admitted for the first time that Britain might not leave the EU on March 29.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the European Research Group of Brexit-supporting Tory MPs, suggested Mrs May risked being sucked into “a plot to stop Brexit” as he questioned the motives of...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/02/26/brexit-could-delayed-two-years-now-option-extend-article-50/
How many times has Theresa May said we will be leaving the EU on March 29 whatever happens? The Prime Minister has been asked in the Commons, at news conferences, in TV and radio studios by MPs, interviewers and voters to restate this one basic ambition and has emphatically and consistently repeated that there will be no delay to the Article 50 timetable. Only now there probably will be.
The Prime Minister will put her deal plus changes to the Irish backstop – assuming they have been conceded by then – back to the Commons on March 12. If it falls, MPs will vote the next day to take no deal off the table; and if that succeeds, another vote will be held on March 14 to extend Article 50.
I use Mrs...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/02/26/delay-article-50-could-mean-britain-never-breaks-free-eu-brexit/
Andrea Leadsom could barely conceal her anger. Turning to Remain ministers around the Cabinet table who had campaigned publicly for a Brexit delay, she said their behaviour was "appalling and disloyal".
The Leader of the Commons appeared close to tears as she accused Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark of breaching collective responsibility, damaging the reputation of Cabinet and the Conservative Party in doing so.
It came after the Prime Minister was forced to bow to pressure over Article 50 after the trio of ministers threatened to resign over the issue along with as many as 15 other Remain ministers.
In a microcosm of the clashes in Cabinet that resulted, Ms Leadsom was seated next to Claire...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/02/26/cabinet-descended-vitriol-brexit-delay-remainers-accused-appalling/
Labour MPs have criticised their colleague Chris Williamson for saying the party has been "too apologetic" over anti-Semitism.
In footage published by the Yorkshire Post, Mr Williamson, who is a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, told activists Labour was being "demonised as a racist, bigoted party".
Deputy leader Tom Watson said he had been "deliberately inflammatory".
The BBC has approached Mr Williamson and the Labour Party for comment.
Labour has struggled to contain a long-running row over claims of anti-Semitism - hostility or prejudice directed against Jewish people - within its ranks.
Nine MPs quit the party last week, criticising the leadership's handling of the issue.
One of them, Luciana Berger tweeted in response to the Williamson video, saying: "This is what I have left behind. It's toxic. Our country deserves so much better.
At an event in Sheffield last week - organised by grassroots Corbyn-supporting campaign group Momentum - MP for Derby North Mr Williamson said: "The party that has done more to stand up to racism is now being demonised as a racist, bigoted party.
"I have got to say I think our party's response has been partly responsible for that because in my opinion… we have backed off far too much, we have given too much ground, we have been too apologetic."
Amid applause from the audience, he went on to say: "We've done more to address the scourge of anti-Semitism than any political party."
Momentum has not responded to the BBC's request for comment.
On Tuesday, Labour officials criticised Mr Williamson for booking a room in Parliament for a screening of a film about anti-Semitism and the activist Jackie Walker.
Ms Walker was suspended by Labour over allegedly anti-Semitic comments in 2016, and the documentary, Witch Hunt, looks at those and other allegations within the party.
A Labour spokesman said: "It's completely inappropriate to book a room for an event about an individual who is suspended from the party and subject to ongoing disciplinary procedures.
"This falls below the standards we expect of MPs."
Stephen Doughty, Labour MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, said Mr Williamson's comments in the video were "unacceptable" and had "no place in our party".
Mr Doughty added: "I have made clear to both the Leader's office and our whips that I expect urgent action to be taken."
Wes Streeting, Ilford North MP, commented on the Yorkshire Post's video too, saying: "Stomach-turning. No action will be taken."
And his colleague Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, also expressed her unhappiness. Another, Neil Coyle, called on Momentum and the Labour Party to do something, saying "Actions speak louder than words."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47380784
The Daily Telegraph says the Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom, was "on the brink of tears" as she confronted mutinous Remainer colleagues who were threatening to resign.
She is said to have accused ministers Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark of "appalling and disloyal" behaviour as they forced the prime minister into opening the way for a delay to Brexit.
One cabinet observer, quoted by the Financial Times, described Mrs Leadsom's attack on the three as "vicious".
'Cornered'
The prime minister, meanwhile, has written a piece in the Daily Mail urging MPs to "hold their nerve" and "do their duty" by backing her deal to leave so that the country can move forward.
She insists progress is being made on securing changes to the Irish backstop - designed to avoid customs checks along the border - and that "a deal is within our grasp".
The Daily Mirror thinks Mrs May is "cornered" and that "it's too late for this weak prime minister to take back control".
Across the Channel, French newspaper Liberation believes Theresa May hasn't solved anything by raising the possibility of a delay - and that Brexit could still be "brutal".
Spain's El Pais says she has given up her main negotiating weapon against Brussels - the possibility of an imminent no-deal departure
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-47380721
Jeremy Corbyn is facing the threat of shadow ministerial resignations en masse over his decision to back a second referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union.
The Labour leader's belated support for another vote on Brexit has sparked a fresh row within the party, prompting fears that several junior ministers could quit in protest over the move.
A shadow Cabinet source told i that the shift in policy meant there were now fears a 'number of the junior shadow front bench could walk, which is a concern'.
Ministerial abstentions
It means Mr Corbyn's team will be keeping a close eye on shadow ministers, such as Tracy Brabin, Gloria de Piero, Mike Kane, Melanie Onn, Judith Cummins, Yvonne Fovargue, Emma Lewell-Buck and Jim McMahon all of whom abstained on a Yvette Cooper's bid to extend Article 5o last month.
Several members of Mr Corbyn's top team clashed over the plans during yesterday's weekly shadow Cabinet meeting amid concerns it could cause severe electoral damage in Labour heartlands.
The proposals, which were strongly defended by deputy leader Tom Watson, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, would mean going back to the public with a choice between a 'credible' option to Leave versus Remain.
Confirming the plans in the Commons, Mr Corbyn said: "The Prime Minister's botched deal provides no certainty or guarantees for the future and was comprehensively rejected by this House.
"We cannot risk our country's industry and people's livelihoods and so if it somehow does pass in some form at a later stage, we believe there must be a confirmatory public vote to see if people feel it is what they voted for."
It came after leave-supporting Labour MP John Mann warned the move would be "catastrophic to Labour in the Midlands and the north".
"Our manifesto was unambiguous, we would accept the result of the referendum. A second referendum doesn't do that and the voters - in very, very large numbers - will not accept that," he told the BBC.
Ignoring voters
The move is also opposed by several high-profile backbenchers, such as former minister Caroline Flint, Lucy Powell and Stephen Kinnock.
Ms Flint warned the party must not 'ignore millions of Labour voters' by supporting a second referendum.
Another backbencher, Gareth Snell, MP for Stoke on Trent told Mr Corbyn in the Commons: 'For the record, I will not and shall not and cannot vote for a second referendum no matter how much lipstick is put on it.'
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/jeremy-corbyn-on-alert-for-shadow-ministerial-resignations-over-second-referendum/ar-BBU7Smq?ocid=spartandhp
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the head of the leading Eurosceptic faction of Conservative MPs, has softened his opposition to Theresa May’s Brexit deal, amid rising hopes in Downing Street that the prime minister might win approval for a revised agreement next month.
Mr Rees-Mogg, told the Financial Times that he was no longer insisting that the contentious “Irish backstop” be scrapped as a condition for his support for Mrs May’s deal and was prepared to consider other legal fixes to ensure it did not become permanent.
“I think people are rather struck by her doggedness and don’t want to stand up and take a potshot at her,” he said of the prime minister he sought to unseat as leader of the Conservative party last year.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/jacob-rees-mogg-softens-position-on-theresa-mays-brexit-deal/ar-BBU87eL?ocid=spartandhp
Michael Gove's environment department is set to a hold an emergency meeting with business leaders on Tuesday.
They will discuss emergency no-deal Brexit plans after the government confirmed last week that it does not have enough pallets - structures used to transport goods - for UK companies to export to the EU in a no-deal Brexit.
The extraordinary admission left affected industry leaders baffled.
Labour criticised the "incompetency and lack of forward planning."
Theresa May is under intense pressure to stop the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
LONDON - The UK government is due to hold emergency talks with industry leaders today after discovering that the country doesn't have the right pallets to continue exporting goods to the European Union if it leaves without a deal next month.
Pallets are wooden or plastic structures which companies use to transport large volumes of goods. Under strict EU rules, pallets arriving from non-member states must be heat-treated or cleaned to prevent contamination, and have specific markings to confirm they meet a series of standards.
Brexit in-depth: All the latest news, analysis and expert opinion
Most pallets currently used by British exporters do not conform to the rules which non-EU countries or "third countries" adhere to, as EU member states follow a much more relaxed set of regulations.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/no-deal-brexit-panic-after-ministers-realise-the-uk-doesnt-have-the-right-pallets-for-exporting-to-the-eu/ar-BBU5zZP?ocid=spartandhp
Ministers have handed a contract for shipping critical NHS supplies in the event of a no deal Brexit to the firm behind the KFC chicken shortage fiasco.
The Mirror has learned that a Government logistics hub in Belgium will rely on delivery firm DHL to transport some key goods across the Channel.
The fast food chain was forced to temporarily close hundreds of outlets last year following the botched handover of its logistics contract to DHL.
MPs criticised the decision to rely on the firm to provide potentially life-saving drugs and equipment if the UK leaves without a deal.
Related: Germany promises ‘better pay, weather and food’ to tempt NHS staff post-Brexit
Whitehall insiders said the hub was just one way that medical products would be brought into the country in a no deal scenario.
The goods are understood to be those requested by hospitals on a 24 to 72 hour time frame and could include cancer drugs and radio isotopes which require refrigeration.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/brexit-contract-for-shipping-nhs-supplies-given-to-firm-behind-kfc-chicken-shortage/ar-BBU7DND?ocid=spartanntp