EU Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee about to get under way. This afternoon the committee - which leads on Brexit - is expected to formally recommend that the Withdrawal Agreement be approved at a full plenary session vote of all MEPs next Wednesday. 
Committee chair Antonio Tajani: 'It is a historical moment albeit a sombre moment for us. A Member State is leaving the EU. It’s not a moment for celebration. Although we firmly respect the sovereign decision of the British people, we deeply reject this outcome.'
Tajani reads out the names of all the British MEPs who have served on the committee and thanks them for their contributions, saying: 'You will be missed.' Other MEPs respond with a standing ovation.
Guy Verhofstadt: 'It will be of utmost importance not to stop our work. It will be necessary to continue all scrutiny of the way this Withdrawal Agreement is implemented in practice in Britain.' He proposes 'parliamentary oversight' working alongside the Joint Committee for this.
*regret this outcome! Apologies, typo.
