(Bloomberg) -- As cross-party talks aimed at a Brexit compromise fail to yield a compromise, Theresa May is considering a new gamble to try to deliver the divorce within the next month and avoid having to take part in European Union elections.
Key Developments:
- With May in Belfast, de facto deputy David Lidington takes her place at Prime Minister’s Questions at 12 p.m.
- Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gives speech on Brexit and Scottish independence at 1:30 p.m.
- Influential 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs is expected to resume discussions on whether to change party rules to make it easier to oust May
Lidington Says Talks With Labour Difficult (12:25 p.m.)
Lidington said cross-party talks aimed at a Brexit compromise have been constructive, but it’s "very difficult."
"The substance and the tone of those conversations between the government team and the opposition team have been constructive, I think there is a genuine attempt to find a way through," he told Parliament on Wednesday.
He reiterated the government’s opposition to a second referendum, and urged members of Parliament to help deliver Brexit.
"It’s up to every member of this house to take our responsibility to the country seriously," he said.
May Travels to Belfast for McKee Funeral (Earlier)
Theresa May will attend the funeral of journalist Lyra McKee in Belfast on Wednesday, her office said in an emailed statement. The so-called new IRA said it accidentally shot the 29-year-old freelance writer in Derry, or Londonderry, during rioting last week.
Other dignitaries attending include Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster.
Cabinet minister David Lidington will deputize for May at Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament, her office said.
Earlier:
May Mulls Latest Gamble to Get Brexit Done Within Next MonthBrexit Bulletin: Here We Go AgainBrexit Stockpile Shields U.K. Pork Prices From Hog Crisis: Chart
To contact the reporters on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net;Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs
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