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Brexit talks between May and Corbyn COLLAPSE as leaders fail to agree a compromise after six wasted weeks
The two parties have been locked in negotiations for the past six weeks
BREXIT talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn collapsed today after their two parties failed to agree a compromise deal.
The Labour leader pulled the plug on six weeks of negotiations this morning - warning that the Tory race to replace Mrs May meant any compromise was doomed to fail.
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But the PM blamed Labour's shambolic Brexit policy for the breakdown, saying the party can't decide whether or not it even wants to leave the EU.
Mr Corbyn claimed talks "have now gone as far as they can" after Mrs May refused to sign up to his soft Brexit fudge which would keep Britain in the customs union.
She could now hold Commons votes on a number of different options next week to see if there is any Brexit outcome MPs can actually support.
In a letter to the PM, Mr Corbyn said: "It has become clear that, while there are some areas where compromise has been possible, we have been unable to bridge important policy gaps between us.
"Even more crucially, the increasing weakness and instability of your government means there cannot be confidence in securing whatever might be agreed between us.
"As I said when we met on Tuesday evening, there has been growing concern in both the Shadow Cabinet and parliamentary Labour party about the government's ability to deliver on any compromise agreement.
"As you have been setting out your decision to stand down and Cabinet ministers are competing to succeed you, the position of the Government has become ever more unstable and its authority eroded.
"Not infrequently, proposals by your negotiating team have been publicly contradicted by statements from other members of the Cabinet."
We will continue to oppose the Government’s deal
Jeremy Corbyn
He also pointed to Liam Fox's desire for a UK-US trade deal, including the import of American foods such as chlorinated chicken, as a key factor in leading to the end of negotiations.
Mr Corbyn concluded: "Without significant changes, we will continue to oppose the Government’s deal as we do not believe it safeguards jobs, living standards and manufacturing industry in Britain."
Speaking on the campaign trail in Bristol, Mrs May responded: "We haven't been able to overcome the fact that there isn't a common position in Labour about whether they want to deliver Brexit or hold a second referendum which could reverse it."
And the PM's spokesman said: "We have made real progress on some issues such as workers' rights and environmental protections, but it is clear that we are not going to be able to reach a complete agreement.
"In particular there have been very challenging discussions in respect of the different positions of the two sides on customs and the holding of a second referendum.
"The Prime Minister continues to believe it is the duty of elected politicians to deliver on the result of the referendum."
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No10 sources blamed Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary who led Labour's side of the talks, for refusing to compromise on his demand for a second referendum.
Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay said: "If it is the case that for people like Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry there is no deal that is acceptable without a second referendum, then it begs the question - why have they taken six, seven weeks for talks?"
But Sir Keir hit back: "The Prime Minister is trying to blame everyone but herself for the collapse of cross-party talks.
"She knows the reality is she couldn’t carry her own side or offer a realistic compromise. Any deal agreed wouldn’t last a day under a new Tory leader."
Hardliners from both the Tories and Labour welcomed the end of the talks and called on their party leaders to resist any further compromise.
Brexiteer backbencher Simon Clarke said: "Thank God. They ought never to have happened."
Ex-minister Priti Patel added: "Many of us did question the judgement of the Cabinet when they approved those talks..."
And Lord Adonis, a pro-EU Labour peer, said: "Talks between Labour and Mrs May over. They were never going anywhere. The only compromise possible is to put May’s deal to a referendum with an option to remain."
Quizzed by reporters this morning, Mr Corbyn denied claims he never intended to get a deal from the talks in the first place - insisting: "It was not shadow-boxing."
There isn't a common position in Labour about whether they want to deliver Brexit or hold a second referendum
Theresa May
The two sides were hoping to agree on a soft Brexit lasting until the next General Election.
That would allow the voters to choose between Labour's preferred option of a permanent customs union, and the looser arrangement backed by the Tories.
Conservative Brexiteers were furious at the prospect of Mrs May watering down her Brexit deal any further.
And Labour rebels said they wouldn't back any compromise agreement without a second referendum attached.
The collapse of talks suggests the Withdrawal Agreement Bill is doomed when it reached the Commons next month.
MPs will have their say on the bill in the first week of June in what will effectively be a fourth "meaningful vote" on Mrs May's withdrawal agreement.
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No10 sources expect to lose by around 80 votes without Labour on side. If Mrs May is defeated she will stand down as PM - but in the unlikely event she wins, she'll cling on for another month to see the deal signed off at last.
Leaked plans suggest the Government now wants to hold a new set of so-called "indicative votes" next week, giving the Commons a fresh say on a No Deal Brexit, second referendum and customs union.
Labour MP Lucy Powell last night warned Britain is now on track for No Deal, saying: "Parliament won’t be able to stop this and the EU won’t stop it either."
MPs should cancel half-term and get on with Brexit progress, business blasts
DO-NOTHING MPs should have their half-term holidays cancelled to give them time to sort Brexit, business groups stormed today.
Leading corporate organisations hit out at the latest stumbling block after cross-party talks broke down.
They warned that the economy will suffer more and more as uncertainty about Britain's EU exit deepens.
CBI boss Carolyn Fairbairn blasted: "Another day of failed politics, another dispiriting day for British business.
"Six wasted weeks while uncertainty paralyses our economy.
"The May parliamentary recess should be cancelled and used to agree a deal as soon as possible - whether through indicative votes or the withdrawal agreement."
The House of Commons is taking 11 days off at the end of this month.
Edwin Morgan of the Institute of Directors added: "This is a fresh disappointment heaped upon the pile of previous disappointments.
"We urge the Government to confirm their plans immediately and crucially before the recess."
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