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91�ȱ� Politics Live
91�ȱ�2's lunchtime political programme

Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib says there should an extension "to give the UK time to have an election so a proper Brexit can be affected".

"Boris Johnson’s deal is not Brexit," he says.

"It must not pass - it will condemned the UK to be subject to the EU in perpetuity."

91�ȱ� Politics Live
91�ȱ�2's lunchtime political programme

Independent former Conservative MP Ed Vaizey says the PM could get his bill through by mid-Novemeber and have a deal.

"And at that point the call for an election becomes unanswerable," he says.

"The current deal is absolutely unacceptable to the Welsh government," the first minister of Wales Mark Drakeford says.

"I could not encourage any MP to vote for it because of the damage it would do to Wales."

Mr Drakeford and Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon, have finished giving their planned statements and are now taking questions from journalists.

Labour confirms to the 91�ȱ�'s political editor that Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson have met this morning, amid reports they are talking about agreeing a new Commons timetable for the PM's Withdrawal Agreement bill.

The first minister of Wales says an Article 50 extension - as called for by Ms Sturgeon a few minutes ago - would give Parliament time to properly scrutinise the Withdrawal Agreement Bill and would also allow time for a public vote on the deal.

"If the prime minister believes what he says, if this is such a wonderful deal, and if he is as frustrated as he claims to be by Parliament's reluctance to roll over and give in, then he should have no hesitation in putting his hard Brexit deal to the electorate, with an alternative of remaining in the European Union," says Labour's Mark Drakeford.

He adds that his Welsh Labour government is "eager for that opportunity".

"I'm not the author of the mess the UK is currently in," says Nicola Sturgeon.

"We have to find a way out of the mess that Brexit has caused.

"A general election or a referendum gives us that opportunity.

"For the longer term, in order for Scotland never to find itself in this position again - facing a future we have not chosen - yes I do believe we have to make the choice to be an independent country."

The first minister of Wales says a consequence of Mr Johnson's plan to scrap the Irish backstop in his new deal would be to create a "hard border in the Irish sea".

Mark Drakeford says this change has "real implications for Welsh businesses", adding: "They will no longer automatically be able to sell goods to Northern Ireland, and there are real implications for Welsh ports.

"They will now be on the front line of this hard border."

Asked about whether the SNP will vote for a general election, Nicola Sturgeon says: "We will take our decision on next steps when we know what the situation is around an extension and when there is clarity around the PM's situation.

"In my view it may be the pathway to a referendum is through a general election."

Mr Drakeford says he thinks the PM's deal is bad for Wales as well as the whole of the UK.

"The long-term relationship with the EU that this government envisages would entail real, sustained, economic damage," the Labour first minister tells the press conference at Westminster.

He says one of the consequences of the PM's vision for Brexit would be "damaging if not destroying essential supply chains" in manufacturing and food sectors.

The first minister of Wales takes the stage after Ms Sturgeon finishes her speech.

Labour's Mark Drakeford says: "Whether it is in limbo or its in purgatory, [this bill] is clearly at least not yet dead."

He says the Welsh government has no intention of giving its consent to the bill in its current form.

Nicola Sturgeon says an extension to Brexit should be long enough for a general election or referendum, adding that the former would likely lead to the latter.

"The bill doesn't protect workers' rights," says Nicola Sturgeon adding it "paves the way for a hard Brexit free trade agreement which would wipe billions from Scottish economy".

"The processes for involving Scotland and Wales government in negotiations over trade agreements is nothing short of a joke."

Nicola Sturgeon says if the Withdrawal Agreement Bill does pass Parliament it will need consent from the Welsh and Scottish assemblies.

"My government will not recommend that consent," she says.

"This is quite simply a bad deal."

Nicola Sturgeon says Brexit is "an outcome that goes against wishes of people in Scotland".

"Far from an orderly Brexit the departure has been chaotic," she says.

She welcomes Parliament's decision to reject the prime minister's timetable for his Brexit deal.

The press conference with Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford has started.

Laura Kuenssberg
91�ȱ� political editor

There is a tension in the Tory party today - some would rather try again to get the bill through. Those MPs were cock-a-hoop at the fact they had managed to get 19 Labour MPs to cross the threshold to potentially back this kind of Brexit deal - even though that is a million miles away from it getting safe passage through Parliament.

But in the heart in Downing Street the instinct is: if a delay is agreed they throw everything into an election instead.

No 10's fear is, even if they say "maybe we could pass the bill in a fortnight," that delay might turn into a long one, tangling with Parliament and losing control of the timetable.

Just as Parliament doesn't trust the prime minister, the prime minister and his team don't trust Parliament.

Opposition parties have no interest really in helping Boris Johnson to complete the passage of this bill. They want to disrupt it for perfectly obvious and legitimate political reasons.

So as things stand, the prime minister would rather trigger an election... But it is not in his gift.

Irish PM, Leo Varadkar spoke with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk this morning regarding the UK’s request for an extension.

The Taoiseach confirmed his support for President Tusk’s proposal to grant the request for an extension which was sought by the UK. They noted that it would still be possible for the UK to leave before 31, January 2020 if the Withdrawal Agreement has been ratified in advance of that date.

The matter is likely to be discussed further at tonight’s meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives in Brussels.

Katya Adler
Europe Editor

Image source, AFP/ Getty Images

Like it or not, Brussels is now the focus of attention.

Will the EU grant a new Brexit extension? If so, for how long?

The answer to these questions will most likely influence the next political events in the UK.

For example, if the EU refuses a new extension, MPs might well rush to approve the new Brexit deal, rather than face the possibility of no deal. The EU is hardly likely to run that risk though.

But if the bloc goes for a longer Brexit delay, then Boris Johnson will want to hold a general election (if Parliament grants him one).

Read more from our Europe editor here.

Image source, Getty Images

The Northern Ireland secretary suggests the government's top priority, after Tuesday night's Commons votes, may not be securing an early general election.

Speaking to the Northern Ireland select committee, Julian Smith said: “Last night was the beginning of the end of this chapter."

"What I want to do is listen to Northern Irish MPs, get a programme motion that is to the satisfaction of a majority of people in this house and resolve this situation," he adds.

"That is where I feel our responsibility lies and we can work together to address many of these issues and ensure this bill is completed. I think the prime minister had a big success last night and I hope we can build on that in the coming days and weeks.”