Today’s political headlines includes May’s visit to Merkel and Macron, Tory backbenchers tell May she’s the problem, Parliament passes bill allowing MPs to vote on brexit delay and May mulls offering MPs a vote on a second referendum.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
May visits Merkel and Macron Tory backbenchers tell May she is \u2018the problem\u2019 Parliament passes bill allowing MPs to vote on Brexit delay May mulls offering MPs a vote on a second referendum Gauke announces reform of divorce laws Campaigners warn new internet regulations threaten free speech Johnson criticised over late declaration of Somerset property Tories to suffer \u2018Brexit penalty\u2019 in May\u2019s local elections
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May is to visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron today prior to tomorrow\u2019s European Council summit. The paper claims she will be told that in return for a delay to Brexit, the UK will lose its say over the EU budget and trade deals, probably by agreeing to vote with the majority of EU members, with the extension expected to be much longer than that requested, potentially until March 31 2020, although it could be terminated earlier if MPs approve the withdrawal agreement.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May was visited by executives of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs yesterday, who told her that she had become \u2018the problem\u2019, with MPs demanding that she \u2018stand won immediately\u2019. Brexiteer Mark Francois yesterday wrote to Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the committee, requesting a \u2018indicative ballot\u2019 of Conservative MPs on May\u2019s future as leader.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Parliament yesterday passed a bill drawn-up by Yvette Cooper and Oliver Letwin which will force the Government to seek a Brexit delay and to put the duration of the delay to a vote by MPs today. The Government had announced that it would not seek to block the final stages of the bill, which passed by 392 votes to 85.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0The Daily Telegraph<\/em>, Theresa May is considering whether to give MPs a vote on a second referendum, as she tries to end the deadlock in her negotiations with Labour, with Chief Whip Julian Smith confident that such a vote would be unsuccessful. Jeremy Corbyn claimed yesterday that May had not made any \u2018real movement\u2019 on key issues such as a customs union, workers\u2019 rights, environmental protections and consumer standards.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>As the BBC\u00a0reports<\/a>, the Government is announcing reforms of the law on divorce which Justice Secretary David Gauke says will help to end the \u2018blame game\u2019 and make them less acrimonious by speeding up the process and removing the requirement for a spouse to allege adultery or unreasonable behaviour by their partner, though there will be a minimum time period of six months.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that the Government\u2019s new online harm white paper has led critics to warn that it could lead to the creation of a \u2018North Korean-style censorship regime\u2019. Sites which allow users to share or discover user-generated content, or interact with each other, would be subject to a duty of care to restrict harmful behaviours, and could be fined, have their senior managers held criminally liable, or be blocked completely if they fail to do so.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Boris Johnson has been criticised by the Commons Standards Committee for his \u2018over-casual attitude\u2019. He failed to register a share of a property in Somerset he had acquired for 12 months, despite a 28-day limit for doing so. In December he apologised for four other occasions on which he registered financial interests late.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Sun<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that analysis by Lord Hayward shows that the Conservatives will face a \u2018Brexit penalty\u2019 in next month\u2019s local elections, with many voters deserting the party or choosing to stay at home because they are \u2018just so hacked off with it all\u2019. The main beneficiaries, he said, were likely to be the Liberal Democrats.<\/p>\n