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Theresa May postpones House of Commons Brexit vote

A demonstrator dressed as Theresa May sells Brexit Fudge in Old Palace Yard, Westminster 
A demonstrator dressed as Theresa May sells Brexit Fudge in Old Palace Yard, Westminster  A demonstrator dressed as Theresa May sells Brexit Fudge in Old Palace Yard, Westminster 

Theresa May has decided to call off the Commons vote on her Brexit deal scheduled for tomorrow, a source has confirmed. 

Only minutes after a Downing Street spokeswoman insisted that the vote would go ahead, the Bloomberg news agency reported that "a person familiar with the matter" had revealed it was off, while the BBC reported that two Cabinet sources had confirmed it has been pulled.

A senior Downing Street source poured cold water on the reports, telling the Press Association: "I would ignore that. They've no business reporting that."

The Prime Minister is due to speak to the House of Commons in an oral statement at 3.30pm.

Mrs May's hastily-arranged oral statement is widely expected to confirm that she intends to seek further concessions from Brussels to try to win over rebellious backbenchers.

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The developments occurred as Mrs May took part in a conference call with her Cabinet ministers.

In the wake of reports that the Brexit vote had been called off, sterling fell 0.4% against the US dollar to 1.26. Against the euro, the pound was down 0.6% at 1.10. 

The Labour Whips' Office has suggested Theresa May will be making an oral statement to the Common at 3.30pm on Monday.

European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said the EU would not renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement.

In a press briefing, she said: "We take note of the Court of Justice judgment today on the irrevocability of Article 50.

"We have an agreement on the table which was endorsed by the European Council in its Article 50 format on the 25th November.

"As President Juncker said, this deal is the best and only deal possible. We will not renegotiate - our position has therefore not changed and as far as we are concerned the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union on the 29th March 2019."

Mrs May's statement will be followed by two more by ministers, the office of Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said.

Ms Leadsom will provide a Commons business statement before Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay makes a statement on "EU Exit - Article 50", it said in a tweet.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "The government has decided Theresa May's Brexit deal is so disastrous that it has taken the desperate step of delaying its own vote at the 11th hour.

"We have known for at least two weeks that Theresa May's worst-of-all-worlds deal was going to be rejected by Parliament because it is damaging for Britain. Instead, she ploughed ahead when she should have gone back to Brussels to renegotiate or called an election so the public could elect a new government that could do so.

"We don't have a functioning government. While Theresa May continues to botch Brexit, our public services are at breaking point and our communities suffer from dire under-investment.

"Labour's alternative plan for a jobs-first deal must take centre stage in any future talks with Brussels."