Today’s political headlines include the Government defeated three times over Brexit, leavers call on May to renegotiate backstop, Brexit notification could be withdrawn and former chief whip to vote against Brexit deal.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Government defeated three times over Brexit<\/span> Leavers to call on May to renegotiate backstop<\/span> ECJ Advocate General suggests Brexit notification can be withdrawn unilaterally<\/span> Former chief whip to vote against Brexit deal<\/span> 49% of voters think Brexit was a mistake<\/span> Farage exits UKIP<\/span> Carney brands Norway-style Brexit \u2018highly undesirable\u2019<\/span> Home Office criticised by Windrush report<\/span>
\n<\/strong>As\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>, Theresa May suffered three defeats in Parliament yesterday. A motion finding the Government in contempt of Parliament for not publishing its Brexit legal advice was passed, as was a compromise amendment it had put forward. Then the Government was defeated over an amendment tabled by Conservative backbencher Dominic Green which strengthens the role of Parliament if May\u2019s deal is defeated.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Brexiteers in the Cabinet are to call on Theresa May to return to Brussels to negotiate a unilateral exit from the backstop, despite being told at a meeting yesterday that the EU was not prepared to reopen negotiations. Other members of the Cabinet are reported to prefer the Norway option, although a source told the paper that the soft-Brexiteers were not united.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>As the\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>, the European Court of Justice\u2019s Advocate General, Manuel Campos S\u00e1nchez-Bordona, has issued advice to judges that the UK\u2019s notification that it wishes to leave the EU could be withdrawn unilaterally. While the Advocate General\u2019s opinion is non-binding, it is generally followed in rulings of the court.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Mark Harper, the former chief whip, uses an\u00a0article<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0to say that he will vote against the Government for the first time in 13 years and reject Theresa May\u2019s Brexit agreement. He warns that the plans \u2018threaten the integrity of our country, keep us trapped indefinitely in a customs union and leave us in a weak negotiating position for our future relationship.\u2019<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>A\u00a0poll<\/a>\u00a0conducted by YouGov for\u00a0The Times<\/em>\u00a0finds that 49% of voters, the highest level ever recorded, believe that leaving the EU was a mistake, compared to 38% who think it was the right decision. Support for May\u2019s Brexit deal has fallen from 27% to 23% in a week, and the Conservatives\u2019 lead over Labour has narrowed, with the Tories on 40% and Labour on 38%.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Writing<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0The Daily Telegraph<\/em>, Nigel Farage reveals that he has left UKIP, warning that the party was becoming one of \u2018street activism\u2019, not \u2018elections\u2019, and would be \u2018damaged beyond repair\u2019 unless it excluded extremists and leader Gerard Batten ceased association with the EDL founder Tommy Robinson<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has claimed that a Norway-style Brexit would be \u2018highly undesirable\u2019 as it would leave the UK subject to rules it couldn\u2019t influence which would pose difficulties for financial stability, adding that the risks posed by this would go \u2018up over time\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0carries details<\/a>\u00a0of a National Audit Office report looking at the Windrush scandal, which finds that the Home Office is failing \u2018to be proactive in identifying people affected\u2019, especially those of non-Caribbean heritage. The department is also criticised for poor-quality data, risky use of targets and poor value for money.<\/p>\n