Labour accuses government of defying will of Commons by not releasing full Brexit legal advice - Politics live

Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the start of Theresa May’s national tour to try to win support for her Brexit deal

1.01pm GMT

Theresa May recorded a clip for broadcasters on her visit to Wales. She used it to insist that, despite what President Trump said yesterday, a trade deal with the US would be possible after Brexit. She said:

If you look at the political declaration which sets out the future framework for our relationship with the European Union, it clearly identifies that we will have an independent trade policy and we will be able to do trade deals, to negotiate trade deals, with countries around the rest of the world.

And, as regards the United States, we’ve already been talking to them about the sort of agreement we could have with them in the future. We’ve got a working group set up which is working very well, has met several times, [and we’re] continuing to work with the US on this ...

12.52pm GMT

Everyone is trying to work out what will happen if, as seems inevitable (just look at the numbers), Theresa May loses the Brexit vote a fortnight today. ITV’s political editor Robert Peston has had a go in a post on his Facebook page. He thinks Jeremy Corbyn could respond by committing to a second referendum, prompting Theresa May to retaliate by proposing some form of government of national unity.

Here’s an extract.

According to senior Labour sources, Corbyn is close to agreeing that shortly (days) after the loss of the meaningful vote by May, he would formally make his party the champion of another referendum or people’s vote - on the basis that if there is no consensus in parliament on what comes next, the question has to go back to the people.

At this conjuncture, there might well be a clear parliamentary majority for such a referendum - with the choice between May’s deal (as the only negotiated deal) and remaining in the EU - if the Tory MPs who currently say they back a plebiscite stick to their guns.

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