Today’s political headlines includes MPs rejecting all Brexit options again, Sedwill warns of no-deal risks, Brexiteers to urge May to give EU ultimatum and Boles quits Tories.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
MPs reject all Brexit options again Sedwill warns of no-deal risks Brexiteers to urge May to give EU ultimatum Boles quits Tories MPs call for \u2018Big Four\u2019 accounting firms to be split up Social media firms to be fined over knife sales Parents who home educate children to be required to register Climate change protesters disrupt Brexit debate
\n<\/strong>As\u00a0The Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>, a majority of MPs again failed to back any of the alternative Brexit proposals put forward in yesterday\u2019s indicative votes. A customs union was rejected by 3 votes, a second referendum by 12, and the \u2018Common Market 2.0\u2019 plan by 21. The Cabinet will hold a five-hour meeting today, with speculation that Theresa May could threaten Brexiteers with a general election and Chancellor Philip Hammond will warn that if the Government doesn\u2019t put forward a compromise proposal, it should hold a referendum as neither the Conservatives or the UK can \u2018afford an election\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mail\u00a0<\/em>has obtained<\/a>\u00a0a letter warning about the risks of a no-deal Brexit from Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to Cabinet ministers. He writes that this would force up food prices by up to 10q, disrupt national security making the UK \u2018less safe\u2019, lead to the reimposition of direct rule in Northern Ireland and cause a recession, with the Government under pressure \u2018to bail out companies\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0The Sun<\/em>, Brexiteer ministers will use today\u2019s Cabinet meeting to press Theresa May to issue a final ultimatum to the EU \u2013 either the backstop is improved or the UK will leave with no deal in ten days. However, according to the paper consensus is growing for a run-off vote between May\u2019s deal and a customs union with the EU.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian\u00a0<\/em>reports<\/a>\u00a0that former minister Nick Boles quit the Conservatives yesterday, announcing his departure in the Commons after his \u2018Common Market 2.0\u2019 Brexit proposal failed. He said that he had chosen to leave because \u2018my party refuses to compromise\u2019 and would now sit as an \u2018independent progressive conservative\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0carries details<\/a>\u00a0of a new report by the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee which calls for the break-up of the \u2018Big Four\u2019 accounting firms by the Competition and Markets Authority when it publishes its final proposals for the sector in a \u2018few weeks\u2019. Committee chair Rachel Reeves said change was \u2018long overdue\u2019 and the dominance of a few firms had led to \u2018audits which investors and the public cannot rely on.\u2019<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0The Daily Telegraph<\/em>, the Government\u2019s new white paper on online harms, expected next week, will announce fines for social media firms which allow the sale of knives and don\u2019t remove violent content, such as \u2018drill\u2019 music videos. This would be policed by a regulator with the power to fine companies up to 4% of their global turnover.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Education Secretary Damian Hinds is to require parents whose children are home educated to register with local authorities, allowing intervention to take place where the standard of the education provided is too low or only a religious education is being given. If parents refuse to register, existing \u2018school attendance orders\u2019 will be used to force them to send their children to school, with other penalties under consideration.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian\u00a0<\/em>says<\/a>\u00a0that yesterday\u2019s debate on Brexit in the Commons was disrupted by semi-naked climate change protesters who glued themselves to the glass of the public gallery. They were removed by the police and 12 people were arrested for outraging public decency.<\/p>\n