LIVE! Rafale documents can’t be produced in court without permission: Govt tells SC

15:41  Rafale documents can’t be produced in court without permission: Govt tells SC :  The Centre today claimed privilege over documents pertaining to the Rafale fighter jet deal and told the Supreme Court that no one can produce them in the court without the permission of the department concerned. Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, referred to section 123 of the Evidence Act and provisions of RTI Act to buttress his claim. 

Attorney General KK Venugopal says the Supreme Court should direct the removal of the leaked pages from the review petitions as the government claims privilege over these documents.  

The court asked the AG, “What privilege do you claim? They have already produced them in court.” The Attorney General replied that the papers were produced after stealing them. “State documents can’t be published without explicit permission,” the AG said. 

The SC while referring to the RTI Act has overriding effect on Official Secrets Act as per Section 22 and Section 24 RTI Act says ‘even intelligence and security establishments are bound to give information about corruption and human rights violations’. “The security of state supersedes everything,” Venugopal said. 

The hearing is currently underway before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph. 

— PTI and ANI

15:25  Rahul accuses PM of listening only to Ambani, Nirav Modi:  Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring voices of farmers, fishermen and small businessmen, Congress President Rahul Gandhi Thursday said the NDA government listened only to industrialists such as Anil Ambani and Nirav Modi. Interacting with fishermen at the National Fishermen Parliament organised by All India Fishermen Congress in Thriprayar near Thrissur. 

Gandhi said in India, the most important thing is giving voice to the people. “In today’s government, Anil Ambani or Nirav Modi has a lot of voice. Whatever they want to say to the prime minister can do so in 10 seconds. And they don’t have to shout. They can even whisper it and the message goes whereas farmers, fishermen and small businessmen…they have to shout very loudly before the government listens to them,” he said launching the Congress’s campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala. 

Gandhi said he was talking about the “dishonest” people associated with Modi and “it is really the fight between Congress and Modi”. He also alleged the “dishonest” people help Modi in marketing himself. 

Taking a dig at Modi, he said, “I don’t call Anil Ambani Anil Bhai, I don’t call Nirav Modi Nirav Bhai, I don’t call Mehul Choksi Mehul Bhai…” He also took a dig at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for allegedly meeting industrialist Vijay Mallya, accused of defaulting on banks loans, before he fled the country. — PTI

14:43  China defends blocking Azhar terror listing, promises lasting solution:  China on Thursday sought to defend its fourth technical hold at the UN Security Council to block the designation of Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, saying it would help the parties concerned to engage in more talks to find a “lasting solution” acceptable to all. 

The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, the UK and the US on February 27, days after a suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, leading to a flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan. 

The Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee members had 10 working days to raise any objections to the proposal. Just before the deadline ended, China put a “technical hold” on the proposal seeking “more time to examine” it. 

The proposal was the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist. Asked why China once again resorted to block the move, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing that Beijing’s decision is in line with the rules of the committee. China “sincerely hopes that relevant action taken by this committee will help relevant countries to engage in dialogue and consultation and prevent adding more complicated factors into regional peace and stability,” he said. 

“As to the technical hold at the 1267 Committee our action is to make sure that the committee will have enough time to study the matter so that the relevant sides will have time for dialogue and consultation,” Lu said. “Only a solution that is acceptable to all sides could fundamentally provide a chance for a lasting solution to the issue. China is ready to communicate and coordinate with all sides including India to properly handle this issue,” he said. 

The Security Council 1267 Committee has clear standards on the procedures of designating terrorist organisations and individuals, Lu said. “China conducts thorough and in-depth assessment of these applications and we still need more time, so that is why we put forward the technical hold,” he said. — PTI

14:36  ‘Modi seems to have got his mojo back’:  Pulwama, Balakot and an aggressive stance on terror will be the main platform for Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi’s campaign. The Congress, on the other hand, will have to work a lot harder to be back in the game — and shift focus from the national security crisis to economic concerns.

“Modi is again trying to present himself as an Opposition while being in government. Pulwama and Balakot have given him the opportunity to use his aggressive style of campaigning,” says Rahul Verma, psephologist and co-author of Ideology & Identity — The Changing Party Systems of India.

Verma is currently a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi and is also pursuing a PhD in political science at the University of California at Berkeley.

“In the two months since winning the December state elections, the Congress did not do anything extraordinary. To challenge a leader like Narendra Modi or Indira Gandhi you need to do extraordinary things,” Verma tells Rediff.com’s Archana Masih. 

14:27  On Mr Vadakkan’s Twitter bio he’s still a Cong spokesperson:  Tom Vadakkan’s Twitter timeline is replete with criticisms of the BJP and he hasn’t changed his bio either, which still reads: National Spokesman Congress ex Secretary AICC ex Convenor Grievance cell AICC ex Appellate member film certification tribuna RT does not imply endorsement.

14:19  Son did not consult me before joining BJP: Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil :  
Congress leader and Maharashtra Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on his son’s defection to the BJP: “Sujay did not consult me before joining the BJP. About my resignation from the post of Leader of Opposition, I would say that I will follow whatever my party leadership asks me to do.” 

On the Cong-NCP alliance: “Sharad Pawar made a statement against my father which shows that he has no respect for me or my family. So there is no question of me going to campaign for NCP candidate in Ahmednagar. I won’t campaign for anyone else either. “

14:05  TMC MLA joins BJP:  The other crossover today… Trinamool Congress MLA Arjun Singh has joined the BJP. 

13:58  Cong stalwart Tom Vadakkan joins BJP:  
IN a huge loss to the Congress, the party’s national spokesperson and senior leader, Tom Vadakkan has joined the BJP in the presence of Ravi Shankar Prasad. 

13:08  Nehru gifted UNSC seat to China: Ravi Shankar Prasad:  

The BJP reacts to Rahul Gandhi’s tweet slamming the BJP’s diplomatic failure with China on Masood Azhar. 

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad addressed the media after China blocked India’s bid to designate JeM Chief Masood Azhar as global terrorist in UNSC 1267 list and asked, “Would the Congress party adopt a different voice even in the case of a cruel killer & a global terrorist Masood Azhar? It was Congress which failed to blacklist Azhar.” He asked, “Why is Rahul celebrating? It was Nehru who gifted UNSC seat to China. Nehru’s error is costing India.” 

“Mantrijee, your Government gave Pakistan a small victory when you postponed the Anantnag by-poll in 2017 and a big victory now that youve failed to conduct assembly elections. If anyone is giving Pakistan a reason to celebrate it isnt  @RahulGandhi. Look closer to home sir.”

12:57  Rahul promises separate ministry for fishermen if Cong voted to power:  Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Thursday vowed to set up a separate ministry for fishermen if the Congress is voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections, saying unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi he did not make “fake promises”. 

He was addressing the National Fishermen Parliament organised by All India Fishermen Congress in Thriprayar in Kerala. 

“My commitment to you is that the moment we win the 2019 elections, all the fishermen of the country will get their own dedicated ministry in Delhi,” Gandhi said. Assuring the fishermen that he would fulfil the promise if the Congress wins, the Congress chief said, “I am not like Narendra Modi. I don’t make fake promises.” “Please look at my speeches. When I say something, I only say it because I have decided to do it,” he said.

12:30  Hero loco driver saves elephant herd :  This elephant family would have met with certain death had it not been for the alertness of loco pilot S Sharma of 15768 Dn Alipur Duar-Siliguri Intercity Express. 

At 6:15 am, Sharma spotted this herd of wild elephants crossing the tracks and he stopped the train by applying the emergency brake.

Alipur Duar in north Bengal is an elephant migration corridor and many places the railway tracks passes through the buffer zones of forests in the Dooars. 

The picture was tweeted by the official handle of the Alipur Duar division of the North East Frontier railway and was marked to Railway minister Piyush Goyal. Wild animals have routinely been killed while crossing the tracks in the Dooars. 

12:18  Prez confers PVSM to army chief :   Army Chief General Bipin Rawat conferred with Param Vishisht Seva Medal by President Ram Nath Kovind, at Rashtrapati Bhawan, today.

12:07  Punjab: Talks begin between India and Pakistan to discuss and finalize the modalities for the Kartarpur Corridor at Attari, Amritsar.

12:06  India, US seek tangible, irreversible action by Pakistan against terrorists:  The US and India have asked Pakistan to take “tangible and irreversible action” against terrorist groups on its soil and deny safe haven to them to launch cross-border attacks, as Washington reiterated its firm support to New Delhi in the fight against terrorism. 

The US’ support to India was expressed by America’s National Security Advisor John Bolton during a meeting with Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Wednesday. 

“Met with Indian FS Gokhale to advance progress on the US-India strategic partnership & our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific, as well as reiterate that the US stands shoulder-to-shoulder with India in the fight against terrorism,” Bolton said in a tweet.

Post the February 14 Pulwama attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) that left 40 CRPF personnel dead, Bolton and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have emerged as strong supporters of the India-US relationship.

“Both (Gokhale and Bolton) underlined the importance of Pakistan taking tangible and irreversible action against terrorist groups based in territories under its control and denial of safe haven for these groups to launch cross -border attacks,” the Indian Embassy said in a readout of the meeting.

The US support came on the day when China for the fourth time blocked a bid to get Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar designated as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council. China put a technical hold on the move by the US, the UK and France, seeking “more time to examine” the proposal, a diplomat at the United Nations has told PTI. 

A day after the Pulwama attack, Bolton had told his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval that the US supports India’s right to self-defence as tensions escalated with Pakistan. — PTI

11:36  Rafale deal row: SC to hear review petition today:  The Supreme Court will hear on Thursday the review petition against its December 14 order in the Rafale deal row. The government on Wednesday filed a fresh affidavit in the apex court in the Rafale case, saying that “unauthorisedly-accessed’ documents related to “internal secret deliberations’ had been presented in a “selective’ manner to mislead the court and amounted to damaging national security.

The Ministry of Defence sought dismissal of both the review petition and the miscellaneous application in the matter while contending that “it has become imperative for the Union of India to seek removal of these documents from the record of the Review Petition and Miscellaneous application filed by the petitioners’.

It told the court that the documents attached by the petitioners in the Rafale review case are sensitive to national security and relate to war capacity of the combat aircraft.

The government said the unauthorised photocopying of such documents has “adversely affected the sovereignty, security and friendly relations with the foreign countries”.

11:03  PVSM for Army Chief, Kirti Chakras, Shaurya Chakras for others :  Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has been conferred the Param Vishisht Seva Medal from President Ram Nath Kovind today. Army’s Sepoy Vrahma Pal Singh and CRPF jawans Rajendra Nain and Ravindra Babban Dhanwade to receive the Kirti Chakra posthumously. 

Major Tushar Gauba of 20 Jat regiment to receive the Kirti Chakra for killing three terrorists in close combat along the Line of Control in Kupwara sector of Jammu and Kashmir. 12 officers and jawans from the Army and CRPF will also receive the Shaurya Chakra today. 

10:32  Kartarpur Corridor talks begin at border :  This is the Pakistani delegation at the Wagah Border to hold discussions with their Indian counterparts over the Kartarpur Corridor. The Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan to India, Syed Haider Shah said Wednesday that talks on visa-free access to the corridor will be held today. 

Speaking to media persons upon his arrival at the Amritsar airport, Shah said, “Talks will be held tomorrow. It is an initiative of Pakistan. Pakistan wants to open the  Kartarpur corridor so that the Sikh pilgrims can visit it.”

He also said that talks will also be held on no-visa access to the Kartarpur corridor. 

10:11  Weak Modi is scared of Xi: Rahul mocks govt’s ‘China diplomacy’:  Congress president Rahul Gandhi mocks PM Modi for India’s diplomatic failure to push China to ban Masood Azhar. 

Rahul tweeted, “Weak Modi is scared of Xi. Not a word comes out of his mouth when China acts against India. NoMo’s China Diplomacy: 

 1. Swing with Xi in Gujarat 

 2. Hug Xi in Delhi 

 3. Bow to Xi in China

Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on a jhoola at the Sabarmati waterfront in September 2014.

10:01  UNSC upset with China shielding Masood Azhar, may ‘pursue other actions’:  
Outraged by China blocking for the fourth time a move to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist, responsible UNSC members warned they “may be forced to pursue other actions” at the Security Council if Beijing continued with this policy.

“If China continues to block this designation, responsible member-states may be forced to pursue other actions at the Security Council. It shouldn’t have to come to that,” a Security Council diplomat told PTI in an unusual tough warning to China. 

The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity to give a sense of the feeling of other members of the Security Council after China blocked the move to designate Azhar a global terrorist. 

Beijing previously put a technical hold on similar proposals at the UNSC thrice. In the aftermath of the Pulwama terrorist attack, three permanent members of Security Council ‘” the US, France and the UK ‘” had moved a resolution to designate Azhar a global terrorist. Except for China, which wields veto power in the Security Council, all other UNSC members were on board with the move before the al-Qaida (1267) Sanctions Committee. India has expressed disappointment over China’s decision but said it will “pursue all available avenues” to bring to justice terrorist leaders involved in attack on Indians. 

“This is the fourth time that China has placed a hold on this listing. China should not prevent the Committee from doing the job the Security Council has entrusted it to do,” another security council diplomat told PTI in response to a question. 

“China’s move to hold the listing is inconsistent with its own stated goals of combatting terrorism and furthering regional stability in South Asia,” said the diplomat, requesting not to be named to speak frankly, given that the deliberations of the UN sanctions committee are confidential, thus preventing member-countries from talking about it in public. 

The second security council diplomat also slammed Pakistan for depending on China to protect terrorist groups and leaders that operate from its soil. “Pakistan has quite often depended on China to protect it from the listing of Pakistan-based terrorist groups and individuals in the UN 1267 sanctions committee,” the diplomat said.  — PTI

10:01  Priya Dutt’s guardian angel:  
Former MP Priya Dutt tweets this image with her father, Sunil Dutt, writing, “My Dad, My Hero, My Guardian Angel. I am what I am because of you.”

Priya Dutt will be contesting the national election after she was named as the party’s candidate from Mumbai North-Central when the Congress released its second list of contenders. Sunil Dutt was an MP from Mumbai North West. 

09:14  India, US agree to build 6 nuclear power plants in India:  

India and the United Satets said they have agreed to build six American nuclear power plants in India, in a boost to bilateral civil nuclear energy cooperation.

The two countries said this in a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the 9th round of India-US Strategic Security Dialogue, co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Andrea Thompson, the US under secretary of state for arms control and international security, on Wednesday.

“They committed to strengthen bilateral security and civil nuclear cooperation, including the establishment of six U.S. nuclear power plants in India,” the joint statement said.

India and the US signed a historic agreement to cooperate in civil nuclear energy sector in October 2008. The deal gave a fillip to bilateral ties, which have been on an upswing since.

A major aspect of the deal was the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), that gave a special waiver to India enabling it to sign cooperation agreements with a dozen countries.

Post-waiver, India signed civil nuclear cooperation agreements with the US, France, Russia, Canada, Argentina, Australia, Sri Lanka, the UK, Japan, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and South Korea.

On Wednesday, the United States also reaffirmed its strong support to India’s early membership in the 48-member NSG. Notably, China has blocked India’s pending membership to the elite grouping that seeks to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons.

09:11  Now, US grounds Boeing 737 Max 8 planes :  

The United States issued an emergency order to ground all Boeing 737 Max aircraft, a decision a number of countries, including India, have taken following the second deadly crash of the plane in less than five months in Ethiopia.

“All those planes are grounded immediately,” US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

The United States is one of the major last countries to have taken a decision to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft. These planes would be grounded till further orders, he said.

Several other countries, including India, China and all of Europe, have ordered the jets off air after the crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8 in Ethiopia on Sunday. The aircraft crashed minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board. Four Indians were among those killed.

That crash was the second involving the jet, after a 787 Max operated by Lion Air, an Indonesian carrier, crashed into the Java Sea in October similarly and 189 people died.

Trump’s announcement came as political and international pressure on the airliner started to build.

He said all 737 Max planes currently in the air would be grounded upon reaching their destination. Boeing, the company, agree with the action, he added.

“Safety is our paramount concern,” Trump added.

He expressed hope that Boeing will get to the bottom of the problem with the planes, but until then the jets will remain grounded.

Boeing said “out of an abundance of caution”, it has decided to recommend to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the temporary suspension of operations of the entire global fleet of the jets.

“On behalf of the entire Boeing team, we extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in these two tragic accidents,” said Dennis Muilenburg, president, CEO, and chairman of Boeing Company. — PTI

09:10  UK Parliament rejects no-deal Brexit:  

British MPs have voted to reject the possibility of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement in place, a move set to delay the March 29 Brexit deadline.

British Prime Minister Theresa May had tabled a government motion against a no-deal Brexit within the March 29 deadline, which was passed by the House of Commons with a majority of 43 votes as 321 MPs backed it and 278 opposed it on Wednesday.

This would now require the Commons to pass a new vote, expected on Thursday, which will authorise May to go back to the EU and seek an extension to Article 50 — the legal mechanism for Britain’s exit from the union.

May said there was a “clear majority” against a no-deal Brexit but the “legal default” was that the UK would leave without a deal on March 29 if no deal is reached unless that is legally changed with another vote and EU ratification.

“The legal default in UK and EU law remains that the UK will leave the EU without a deal unless something else is agreed. The onus is now on every one of us in this House to find out what that is,” May said in her statement soon after another long Brexit day in the Commons.

She also warned that any extension to the Brexit deadline will be pointless unless the House also set out a plan for the kind of deal it can support.

Before the vote on the government’s motion, a non-binding vote tabled to demand that a no-deal Brexit is ruled out under all circumstances marked yet another defeat for May as her Conservative Party MPs defied the government whip to vote in favour of it –312 to 308.

While that vote was intended as indicative rather than prescriptive, it reinforced the Parliament view to ensure that some kind of a withdrawal agreement must be in place before Britain can formally leave the EU.

MPs also voted by 374 to 164 to reject a plan to delay the UK’s departure from the EU until May 22, so that there can be what its supporters call a “managed no-deal” Brexit. — PTI

08:43  ‘Diplomatic disaster’: Congress slams Modi govt over Masood Azhar:  

The Congress on Wednesday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party government after China blocked a bid at the United Nations to designate Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a “global terrorist”, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy has been a series of “diplomatic disasters”.

 

The opposition party also slammed China for blocking the move.

In yet another setback to India’s bid to designate the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief as a global terrorist, China Wednesday put a technical hold on the proposal in the UN Security Council to ban him following the Pulwama terror attack.

Reacting to the development, Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said it was a sad day in the global fight against terrorism.

“China blocking Masood Azhar’s designation as a global terrorist reaffirms Chinese position of being an inseparable ally of terrorism’s breeding ground — Pakistan,” he tweeted.

“Sadly, Modiji’s foreign policy has been a series of diplomatic disasters,” the Congress spokesperson said.

The Congress has been attacking the BJP over Masood Azhar’s release in exchange for passengers of a hijacked Indian plane. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tell the nation that it was a BJP-led government which released Azhar from an Indian jail in 1999.

Azhar and two other terrorists, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, were released from an Indian prison in 1999 by the then BJP-led government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in exchange for the passengers held hostage on board  flight IC-814 hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan. 

“After 56 inch’s ‘hugplomacy’ and the game of sitting on a swing also, the China-Pakistan duo is showing red eyes to India,” Surjewala added in a tweet in Hindi.

The Congress has slammed Modi for being allegedly soft on China by holding a summit meeting with President Xi Jinping in Wuhan “without an agenda” and hosting him in India earlier. — PTI

08:19  India ‘disappointed’ after China blocks move to ban JeM chief :  

India expressed disappointment soon after China blocked yet another move at the United Nations to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood Azhar as a “global terrorist”.

 

In its reaction, the external affairs ministry said India will continue to pursue all available avenues to ensure that leaders of terror groups involved in heinous attacks on Indian citizens are brought to justice.

“We are disappointed by this outcome. This has prevented action by the international community to designate the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a proscribed and active terrorist organization which has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14,” the MEA said.

Without naming China, it said the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee was not able to come to a decision on the proposal for listing Azhar on account of a member placing the proposal on hold.

The JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attacks in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. 

In yet another setback to India’s bid to designate Azhar as a global terrorist, China put a technical hold on the proposal in the UN Security Council to ban him.

A diplomat at the UN told PTI that China put a “technical hold”.

00:11  UK set for another major Brexit vote to rule out no-deal exit:  

A day after British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit divorce bill was rejected in a bruising 149-vote defeat, MPs returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to vote on whether to prevent the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union by the March 29 deadline without any deal in place.

The latest motion to try and avert the no-deal Brexit, which would see UK crash out of the 28-member economic bloc without any transition phase, follows a rejection of May’s withdrawal agreement 391 to 242 despite a final push by her to try and convince hard-Brexiteers that the concessions she had won to the controversial Irish backstop clause would not see the UK tied to EU rules indefinitely.

“I may not have my own voice, but I understand the voice of the country,” May said as she took to the Commons despatch box for her weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, still struggling with a sore throat.

“I believe we have a good deal. No deal is better than a bad deal but I have been working for us to leave on 29 March and leave with a good deal,” she said.

The motion tabled by her to be voted on Wednesday evening reads: ‘This House declines to approve leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement and a framework on the future relationship on 29 March.’

Besides, Speaker John Bercow announced that MPs will debate on two amendments to the government motion during yet another long day at Parliament in Westminster.

While one amendment will consider ruling out a no-deal Brexit indefinitely, the second one will direct the government to pursue a Plan B divorce strategy.

May will whip her MPs to vote against the first amendment, which is tabled by the backbench Conservative MP Caroline Spelman and Opposition Labour MP Jack Dromey and seeks to remove a phrase from the government’s motion saying a no-deal Brexit remains the default option if a deal is not in place.

However, her party MPs will be allowed to vote freely on the Plan B amendment, which seeks a so-called managed no-deal Brexit.

If, as expected, MPs reject a no-deal Brexit on March 29 in the final vote on the government motion, May will have to announce how she plans to proceed.

Rival groups of MPs are therefore seeking to influence the process by tabling amendments to any motion the government brings at this stage.

If, on the other hand, MPs vote in favour of a no-deal exit from the EU, then the UK will cease to be a member of the economic bloc by March 29 and automatically revert to World Trade Organisation (WTO) norms on trade.

Speaking moments after yet another Parliament defeat over Brexit on Tuesday night, May said MPs would have to decide whether they want to delay Brexit, hold another referendum, or whether they ‘want to leave with a deal but not this deal’.

While some hard-Brexiteers such as former Cabinet minister Boris Johnson are in favour of a no-deal exit, there is unlikely to be a majority for it in Parliament.

The Opposition Labour Party has been demanding no-deal be taken off the table for months now.

If no-deal is rejected, MPs will then vote on Thursday on delaying Brexit by extending Article 50 — the legal mechanism that takes the UK out of the EU.

This would have to be ratified by the EU and the length of extension will become the next focus on both sides.

However, how the EU will react to an extension request remains unclear at this stage, given that it is preparing for its own EU elections towards the end of May.

The EU side has expressed dismay at the agreement being rejected by Britain for a second time since the last vote in January and said it would need ‘a credible justification’ before agreeing to any extension.

Unless agreed otherwise, Britain leaving the EU by March 29 remains the default Brexit option by law.

With that in mind, the UK government also unveiled plans for trade across borders under such a scenario.

As a temporary measure, most imports into the UK would not attract a tariff in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) announced.

Under a temporary scheme 87 per cent of imports by value would be eligible for zero-tariff access — up from 80 per cent at present.

The government also announced it will not introduce any new checks or controls, or require customs declarations for any goods, moving from across the border from Ireland to Northern Ireland if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

The move comes amid a hectic week in politics at Westminster, when MPs have a flurry of crucial decisions before them that would determine UK’s future with the EU.

Although May managed to convince about 40 Tory MPs to change their mind since her historic 230-vote defeat on the Brexit withdrawal deal in January, she failed to get it through the Commons finish line.

The Irish backstop, an insurance policy designed to maintain an open border on the island of Ireland between UK territory Northern Ireland and EU member-state — the Republic of Ireland — proved insurmountable in the end, despite some ‘legally binding’ changes May hoped would be enough for the second vote on the agreement this week.

The March-end deadline had kicked in when the UK triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty following a referendum in favour of Brexit by nearly 52 per cent to 48 per cent in June 2016.

Unless MPs are able to rule out leaving by March 29 without any exit strategy or agreed terms, the UK is set to crash out of the bloc leading to deep uncertainties for businesses relying on cross-border arrangements.  — PTI