Today’s political headlines include the EU prepared to extend Article 50, May talking to colleagues about the backstop, Cabinet ministers call on May to postpone vote on deal and Gove to wind up the Brexit debate.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
EU would be prepared to extend Article 50, sources claim<\/span> May \u2018talking to colleagues\u2019 about backstop<\/span> Cabinet ministers call on May to postpone vote on deal<\/span> Gove to wind up Brexit debate<\/span> Hammond tells MPs economic cost of Brexit is worth it<\/span> Home Office suspends controversial visas in bid to tackle organised crime<\/span> Corbyn attacks Conservative MPs for using foodbanks as photo opportunities<\/span> Hinds argues that snobbery is holding back vocational education<\/span>
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0asserts<\/a>\u00a0that according to EU sources, the bloc would be prepared to extend the Article 50 negotiating period if MPs reject her Brexit deal, if this would avoid a no-deal Brexit. The paper adds that the Government\u2019s legal advice, published yesterday, makes it clear that there would be different customs regimes in Northern Ireland and Great Britain under the backstop, while Number 10 has been discussing finding a way of giving MPs a veto over the backstop.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Appearing<\/a>\u00a0on BBC Radio 4\u2019s\u00a0Today<\/em>\u00a0programme this morning, Theresa May said that she is \u2018talking to colleagues\u2019 about the Northern Ireland backstop, but that it was \u2018an integral part of the withdrawal agreement\u2019. However, she admitted that she was considering Parliament\u2019s role in choosing to trigger it or a transition period extension.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that some Cabinet ministers are trying to persuade Theresa May to postpone the vote on her Brexit deal amid fears that she is guaranteed to lose the vote, with Chief Whip Julian Smith claiming that many backbenchers are \u2018beyond reason\u2019. Some MPs from both the Government and opposition benches have been offered places on a cross-party committee, which will help direct the next stage of Brexit talks.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that Michael Gove has been given the job of winding-up the debate on Theresa May\u2019s Brexit deal, perhaps because he is felt more likely to persuade backbench Conservative MPs. Yesterday, Home Secretary Sajid Javid claimed that a no-deal Brexit would lead to \u2018an immediate and probably indefinite loss of some security capability\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Chancellor Philip Hammond told the Commons Treasury Committee yesterday that the economic cost of Theresa May\u2019s Brexit deal was worth it in order to ensure that Brexit voters did not feel betrayed. MPs criticised him because the Government\u2019s assessment did not model the exact deal agreed and it had not publishes analysis of Brexit\u2019s short-term impact.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that the Home Office is suspending issuing \u2018Tier 1\u2019 investor visas as part of an attempt to tackle organised crime and money laundering. Existing applications will continue to be considered, but new applications will have to wait for planned reforms to be introduced.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Mirror\u00a0<\/em>reports<\/a>\u00a0that Jeremy Corbyn used Prime Minister\u2019s Questions to launch \u2018a devastating tear down of the Government’s welfare policies\u2019. The Labour leader told MPs that \u2018foodbanks are not just a photo opportunity for Conservative MPs\u2019 and accused the Government of being \u2018in denial\u2019 about the effect of Universal Credit.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Sun<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that Education Secretary Damian Hinds is to use a keynote speech on technical education to argue that A-levels and university should not be the default route, and to claim that \u2018snobbery\u2019 from parents is holding children back because not enough prestige has been attached to vocation education in British society.<\/p>\n