MPs have voted by a majority of one to force the prime minister to ask for an extension to the Brexit process, in a bid to avoid any no-deal scenario. The bill, put forward by Labour’s Yvette Cooper, was passed by the Commons in just one day.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said last night that Theresa May has not moved far enough in crisis talks aimed at breaking the deadlock over Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Should the talks fail, the prime minister is expected put different Brexit options for the future relationship to a vote in parliament, in the hope of finding a plan viable enough to present in Brussels.

But European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the UK would not get any further short delays unless its parliament ratified a deal by April 12 – the date set by EU leaders as the effective cut-off for avoiding the European Parliament elections.

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The private sector has delivered the weakest performance in almost seven years, according to a survey from IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply showed overall business activity stalled in March.

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This morning Japanese prosecutors arrested ousted Nissan Motor Co boss Carlos Ghosn for a fourth time, public broadcaster NHK said, after Japanese media reported that authorities were building a new case against him over payments made to an dealer in Oman.

The board of Renault yesterday accused Carlos Ghosn of “questionable and concealed practices” and violating the company’s ethics, the first time the French carmaker has publicly criticised its former head.