Theresa May told not to risk humiliating Commons defeat as she is pressured to postpone vote

Pic:Under pressure: Theresa May ( AFP/Getty Images )
Poitical reporter(wp/es):

 has been urged by a leading Tory backbencher to delay the crucial vote on her Brexit deal to avoid a humiliating defeat.

Sir Graham Brady said “clarity” on the controversial backstop was more important than the timing of the vote on the Prime Minister’s agreement.

It comes after Mrs May was urged by some Cabinet ministers to postpone the vote, which many of her fellow Conservatives expect she will lose.

Sir Graham, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, said he would welcome the vote being deferred if no solution could be found to differences within the party over the Northern Ireland border backstop.

He told BBC Two's Newsnight: "I think the most important thing is to have clarity about how we might remove ourselves from a backstop ... if we were to enter into one in the future.

"It's having the answer to that question of substance that is most important, not the timing, so if that question can be answered in the course of the next few days then all well and good.

"If it can't, then I certainly would welcome the vote being deferred until such time as we can answer that question."

MPs tabled earlier tabled an amendment to the meaningful vote on the deal that would give MPs some control over the controversial backstop, which has been the main sticking point after two years of negotiations

The alteration would mean Parliament will have to approve a decision to trigger the backstop arrangement or extend the transition period beyond December 2020.

It was tabled by Northern Ireland minister Sir Hugo Swire, Richard Graham and Bob Neill, hours after the Prime Minister indicated Parliament would choose between the two options after the UK formally quits the EU.

The move is likely to be seen as a bid to bolster flagging support for Mrs May ahead of a crunch Commons vote on her EU withdrawal deal next Tuesday - a showdown the PM made clear on Thursday morning she would not postpone.

But it remains to be seen whether it goes far enough to win over enough Tory Brexiteers to get the deal through the Commons.

DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose party opposes Mrs May's deal, warned that the amendment would not be enough, tweeting: "Domestic legislative tinkering won't cut it.

"The legally binding international Withdrawal Treaty would remain fundamentally flawed as evidenced by the Attorney General's legal advice."

The backstop, intended to prevent the return of a hard border in Northern Ireland, is highly controversial as Brexiteer MPs claim it traps the UK into obeying rules set by Brussels without a say over them.

The Government says it aims to conclude a comprehensive trade deal with the EU before a backstop arrangement would be needed.

Under the Withdrawal Agreement, the backstop would be introduced if a trade deal had not been agreed by both sides by the time the transition period ends in December 2020.

However, the transition period could be extended for a maximum of two more years.

UK temporary workers enjoy biggest pay rise since 2007 - REC

business correspondent(wp/Reuters):

Temporary staff in Britain had their biggest pay rises in more than a decade last month as the approach of Brexit made workers wary about changing jobs, leaving employers scrambling to fill positions, a survey of recruiters showed on Friday.

Pay for temporary staff employed via recruitment agencies grew by the most since the eve of the financial crisis in July 2007, while starting salaries for permanent staff rose at one of the fastest rates in nearly four years.

Sectors such as hospitality and warehousing struggled to fill their vacancies in the run-up to Christmas, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said.

The number of permanent and temporary staff being hired grew at the slowest rate since the summer, though in outright terms demand remained strong.

“It’s very much a candidate’s market at the moment and demand for workers is driving a sharp increase in starting salaries,” said James Stewart, vice chair of accountants KPMG, who sponsor the survey.

As fears of a no-deal Brexit spark concerns about job security, fewer people are willing to risk changing jobs.

“Candidates who are prepared to take a chance and job hop can often bag a pay rise as a result,” Stewart said.

Companies have complained of fewer foreign workers coming to Britain in the run-up to Brexit and official figures have shown the lowest net immigration from the European Union since 2012.

Past REC data showing stronger growth in starting salaries and temporary wages has not always translated into stronger earnings across the British workforce as a whole.

However, the most recent official data for average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, for full-time employees showed the sharpest annual growth in almost a decade, with wages up 3.2 percent on the year in the three months to the end of September.

The Bank of England has said it expects to raise interest rates gradually as wages rise, generating inflation pressure.

Senior Conservative lawmaker said would welcome delay to Brexit vote - BBC

Political reporter(wp/Reuters):

A senior lawmaker in Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party said he would welcome a delay to parliament’s planned Dec. 11 Brexit vote if she cannot provide clarity on how Britain would leave the so-called Irish backstop, the BBC reported.

BBC reporter Nicholas Watt said on Twitter that Graham Brady, who chairs the influential 1922 committee of Conservative lawmakers and who would run any leadership contest if May is ousted, made the comments in an interview on Thursday.

Worries about the backstop, intended to ensure no return of border controls between British-ruled Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland, are a key driver of opposition to the deal.