Ministers and their shadow counterparts will continue cross-party talks today, as they try to break the Brexit impasse.

Suggests are that prime minister Theresa May has not accepted Labour’s customs union demand, but there was a move towards changing the non-binding political declaration.

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British shoppers cut back spending for the first time in almost a year last month, reflecting a mix of seasonal pressures and Brexit worries, the British Retail Consortium said on Tuesday.

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The accountancy firm BDO is developing detailed plans to split its UK audit and non-audit businesses into separate subsidiaries after MPs called for a break-up of the larger Big Four firms.