Theresa May set to pull crucial Commons Brexit vote
Theresa May is due to make a Commons statement this afternoon amid reports she has postponed the final vote on her Brexit deal.
The vote on whether to accept the Prime Minister's agreement with the EU was due to take place tomorrow night, but she has reportedly told Cabinet ministers she is seeking a delay.
Mrs May has struggled to get enough support for her deal, with more than 100 Tories and the vast majority of MPs from other parties said to be planning to vote against it.
She will give an oral statement to the House of Commons on the European Union at 3.30pm today.
It will be immediately followed by a business statement from the leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, and a statement by the Brexit Secretary, Stephen Barclay.
Confusion has reigned this morning over the status of the so-called 'meaningful vote'.
Just a few hours ago a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said it would take place tomorrow night as planned, adding that Mrs May was 'confident' of winning it.
Cabinet member Michael Gove said the vote was going ahead, and in a Q&A session with Express & Star readers today, Mr Barclay said he was confident the deal would pass through the Commons.
Then Mrs May met with cabinet colleagues in a hastily arranged conference call, after apparently conceding that she could not win enough support for her deal.
Delaying the vote would be seen as a significant blow to the Prime Minister's authority, although it could give her extra time to negotiate with the EU and to win over Tory MPs.
