Today’s political headlines include May delaying the meaningful vote on brexit until 12 March and considering a Brexit extension, EU officials exploring the delay of Brexit until 2021 and growing support for postponing Brexit.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
May delays Brexit \u2018meaningful vote\u2019 until 12 March May considers Brexit extension EU officials explore delaying Brexit until 2021 Support for postponing Brexit grows May says she wants to deliver her \u2018domestic agenda\u2019 Ministers plan no-deal Brexit \u2018hardship fund\u2019 Watson says Corbyn should lead efforts to tackle antisemitism Field calls for Spring Statement benefits \u2018rescue package\u2019
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May has said that she will not put an amended Brexit agreement to the Commons this week, setting a new deadline of 12 March. The paper claims that this means that she will now spend the week \u2018separately attempting\u2019 to prevent Cabinet ministers from resigning ahead of Wednesday\u2019s Brexit motion, with some calling on her to rule out a no-deal Brexit in a statement to the Commons.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May is considering plans to delay Brexit by up to two months. It is one of three scenarios drawn up by Downing Street in an attempt to stave off ministerial resignations this week and prevent a rebellion in support of amendments backing such an extension. The others include a meaningful vote on the deal, which she has ruled out, and a conditional vote on plans drawn up by the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to time-limit the Irish backstop. May has resisted calls to sack Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark, who indicated at the weekend they could support attempts to delay Brexit.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that the EU\u2019s \u2018most senior officials\u2019 are exploring plans which would significantly extend the Brexit negotiation period, delaying Brexit until 2021. This would allow the two sides to develop their future relationship and thus make the Irish backstop redundant. The EU does not want to offer a short extension and then find the issue being revisited in the summer, creating what one diplomat called a \u2018rolling cliff-edge\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>, support is growing for parliamentary amendments to extend Brexit talks. Yvette Cooper and Sir Oliver Letwin are proposing an amendment that would empower Parliament if there was no agreed deal by March 13, allowing it to request an extension, while the leaders of the Brexit Delivery Group of Tory MPs, Andrew Percy and Simon Hart are proposing to extend negotiations until the European elections in May.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Sun<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May told reporters, when asked if she was planning to resign in the summer as some ministers have demanded, that \u2018there is still a domestic agenda that I want to get on with\u2019. She also denied accusations from Anna Soubry that she \u2018had a problem with immigration\u2019, adding that it \u2018has overall been good for the UK.\u2019<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times\u00a0<\/em>has obtained<\/a>\u00a0a document from the cabinet committee responsible for no-deal Brexit preparations that shows ministers are planning a \u2018hardship fund\u2019 for those affected, will use \u2018tax and benefits policy\u2019 to offset price rises and will tackle food shortages.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian\u00a0<\/em>reports<\/a>\u00a0that Labour\u2019s deputy leader Tom Watson used an interview with Andrew Marr to call on Jeremy Corbyn to lead efforts to tackle antisemitism in Labour, describing it as \u2018a crisis for the soul of the Labour Party\u2019. The paper has seen a dossier of complaints made by Labour MPs to Watson including details of members\u2019 antisemitic tweets.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Mirror\u00a0<\/em>says<\/a>\u00a0that Commons Work and Pensions Committee Chair Frank Field has called for the Chancellor to use the Spring Statement to deliver a \u2018rescue package\u2019 to low income families affected by benefit caps and freezes, which he said had a \u2018devastating\u2019 effect on the poorest families in the country.<\/p>\n