Speaker confirms he’s selected Letwin amendment. Loud murmurs of “what a surprise” from the Tory benches.
PM in Uber emollient mode. Apologised to Lab MP @KevinBrennanMP that his 60th birthday is in the House.
A very very different tone from Boris Johnson. Grand, sober, clearly pitch to other side of the House than his own. He speaks as the first Tory PM for a while not looking over his shoulder, worrying about what his own MPs are going to do.
IMPORTANT: from No 10 source- “If Letwin passes, Tusk will be given a copy of Parliament’s letter but we will continue to say to European leaders and everyone else ’Get Brexit done on 31 October with our new deal, no delays’. The PM will not ask for or negotiate delay.”
Of course, the Act talks about the PM sending the letter... 
Johnson: “I must tell the House that whatever letters they might force me to write, it cannot change my view that any delays is pointless and expensive.”
Nonetheless, he is tacitly accepting the letter will be written and sent.
Nonetheless, he is tacitly accepting the letter will be written and sent.
Corbyn: “he’s renegotiated the withdrawal agreement and made it worse. He’s renegotiated the Political Declaration and made it worse.”
The funny thing today is both Johnson and Corbyn are essentially talking only to the Labour benches and at that, around 15 Labour MPs.
This is (rightly) basically a PLP speech.
Corbyn: “supporting the govt this afternoon will be firing a starting pistol on a race to the bottom.”
Corbyn: “Labour is not prepared to sell out the communities we represent.”
Boris Johnson ticking Corbyn off about his tone. We’ve travelled a long way in not much time.
.@normanlamb confirms he’s voting against the deal.
IDS asking Boris Johnson to implore Oliver Letwin to withdraw his amendment. Letwin smiles.
Swinson gets by far the most barracking hen she gets up of any party leader. For obvious reasons not a great look.
Nigel Dodds urges Boris Johnson to reconsider his deal and says “we must leave as one country.”
This pressure on Letwin withdrawing his amendment is a bit misleading. If he chooses not to move it, one of the other signatories could do so instead That happened before with Caroline Spelman and Yvette Cooper.
Barry Sheerman stands to speak. Am told via the great @joncraig he is the only MP to have made an intervention in both the last Saturday sittings (today and 1982)
PM says should be easy to get FTA with EU because “we’re already in perfect regulatory alignment.”
Indeed. But the whole point of this is he (and especially his backbenchers) want to diverge.
Indeed. But the whole point of this is he (and especially his backbenchers) want to diverge.
