Downing Street confirmed Alberto Costa has left his role as a parliamentary private secretary after he put forward an amendment asking Theresa May to pursue a separate agreement with the EU enshrining the rights of British citizens in the EU and vice-versa even in the event of no-deal. Number 10 says he was asked to resign because it is convention that members of the administration do not propose amendments on the government’s motions. The Prime Minister believes Mr Costa’s amendment to be impractical, saying the EU does not think it has the authority to make such a treaty.

However, just an hour before Mr Costa’s resignation, Home Secretary Sajid Javid told a Commons select committee there was “nothing wrong” with the South Leicestershire MP’s amendment. Mr Costa had been parliamentary private secretary to Scottish Secretary David Mundell and sources close to him told the Guardian he had been given no option but to resign. A further source said: “It seems ridiculous for the government to be sacking a parliamentary private secretary over an amendment that has cross-party support and the support of upwards of 60 Tory backbenchers and Sajid Javid.” Mr Costa's amendment has support of a huge cross-section of parliament with 60 Tory MPs, including Brexiterrs Jacob Rees-Mog, Dominic Raab and Iain Duncan-Smith, in favour of the amendment.

The amendment is also being backed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, The Independent Group’s Chuka Umunna, Liberal Democrats leader Sir Vince Cable, former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas and the DUP’s Nigel Dodds. The proposal “requires the Prime Minister to seek at the earliest opportunity a joint UK-EU commitment to adopt part two of the Withdrawal Agreement on Citizens’ Rights and ensure its implementation prior to the UK’s exiting the European Union, whatever the outcome of negotiations on other aspects of the Withdrawal Agreement.”. The amendment has been selected by Speaker John Bercow and if moved later this evening is expected to stand a good chance at passing. Addressing the House of Commons yesterday, Theresa May indicated there is no “legal authority” for the side deal without permission of the remaining EU27.

But in an extraordinary select committee exchange today, Mr Javid appeared not to know about Mrs May’s reservations. He was asked: “Is the government supporting the Costa amendment now?” The Home Secretary replied, “When was the government not supporting it?” “I’m perfectly happy with that amendment. What Mr Costa is doing with this amendment is trying to find more ways for parliament to give that reassurance. “This is a backbench amendment and the government supports the amendment in that it sets out to achieve the principles we all agree on.” This afternoon, Number 10 moved to dismiss suggestions Mr Costa was sacked because he tabled an amendment with which Theresa May disagrees. </s> The government has caved in to pressure over the fate of EU citizens in the event of a no-deal Brexit and agreed to go back to Brussels to seek a deal to ringfence their rights.

Its decision follows a morning of chaos during whichthe Conservative MP who tabled the amendment proposing the move was forced to quit his government post, and the home secretary said he saw “nothing wrong” with the plan even though Theresa May had dismissed it a day earlier.

Just hours after Alberto Costa resigned, the Cabinet Office minister David Lidington told MPs the government supported him and would take his plan up with the EU. “In view of the fact our political objectives are the same, the government will accept the amendment today and take it up with the commission,” he said.

The amendment calls on May to seek “at the earliest opportunity a joint UK-EU commitment to adopt” the part of the withdrawal agreement securing the rights of EU citizens in the UK and British nationals settled in the EU, whatever the outcome of Brexit negotiations.

While Lidington said the government took the rights of EU citizens including British nationals settled in the bloc “extremely seriously”, he warned that MPs should not “underestimate the challenge” in persuading the EU.

The events leading up to the statement were branded a “shambles” by the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, following a clash between MPs and the home secretary over the amendment.

Sajid Javid appeared blindsided when he told MPs on a select committee that there was nothing wrong with the amendment only to be told the government had indicated it would not be backing it. “When did you hear that? From who?” he asked them.

When told it had been the prime minister, Javid replied: “Did you? Right, ok”, before adding: “I’m perfectly happy with that amendment.”

There was further confusion when an hour later, Costa left his post as parliamentary private secretary to the Scotland secretary, David Mundell.

Sources close to Costa said he was given no option but to resign, after tabling the amendment. A source said: “It seems ridiculous for the government to be sacking a parliamentary private secretary over an amendment that has cross–party support and the support of upwards of 60 Tory backbenchers and Sajid Javid.”

Starmer told the house the chaos was a “vignette on how Brexit has been going”.

A Downing Street spokesman said Costa had not been sacked. “He resigned from the government,” he said. “You will be aware that there is a longstanding convention that members of the government payroll, including PPSs, don’t table amendments to government bills. Clearly this is an issue that he feels very strongly about and so he has chosen to resign.”

He said it was “absolutely wrong to say the PM signalled at any stage that the government would oppose” the amendment. The proposal would have passed comfortably even if the government had not supported it as it had both the support of the Labour party and more than 60 Tory backbenchers, including Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Costa, the son of Italian immigrants, has been quietly lobbying May over EU citizens’ rights for two years.

Alberto Costa MP (@AlbertoCostaMP) 1/4 Can’t begin to say how brilliant it is to see my amendment in black and white on the order paper today. I’m hugely grateful to those colleagues who have very kindly supported my amendment to ringfence rights for those EU citizens in the UK and those in UK citizens in the EU. pic.twitter.com/zrhwN9ljpw

The home secretary also came under sustained attack for the registration system the government is about to launch nationally for EU citizens.

The Labour MP Stephen Doughty described the “settled status” scheme as a shambles and told Javid the basis of registration was discriminatory as it required EU citizens to request rights they already had.

It would also recategorise them in a no-deal scenario as a cohort of the population who did not have rights if they did not have a settled status.

“�?If people are having to secure those rights then, by definition, they don’t have those rights,” Doughty said. “You are at risk of having Windrush all over again.

“In a hostile environment, they are going to be at risk of not being able to access services, not being able to access housing, potentially being detained by the immigration authorities.” </s> Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, has resigned from the Government over an amendment he tabled in Parliament.

Alberto Costa, the Conservative MP for South Leicestershire, has been forced out of his job in the Government as parliamentary private secretary to the Scotland secretary, David Mundell. He will continue to sit as a Tory MP.

He had tabled an amendment calling on May to seek an urgent meeting with the EU to secure the rights of EU citizens in the UK and British nationals settled in the EU, whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.

The amendment was subsequently backed by the Home Secretary Sajid Javid, and apparently around 60 Tory MPs, as well as members of other parties and the new Independent Group. The amendment had support from all sides of the Brexit argument, including Jacob Rees-Mogg and Dominic Raab as well as the DUP, Jeremy Corbyn and Chuka Umunna.

But Theresa May branded it as unworkable stating in Parliament on Tuesday that the EU had “legal authority” to do a deal on citizens’ rights without the permission of the other 27 member states. Mr Costa had pointed out that all the PM had to do was go to the Council of the Europe Union (made up of national Governments of EU states) and ask them to give the EU Commission the power to deal with the matter. </s> The fate of a backbench amendment seeking to guarantee EU citizens’ rights is up in the air after the home secretary backed it and then the MP who tabled it was forced to resign from the government.

Sajid Javid said the government would support the amendment laid by the Conservative MP Alberto Costa to ringfence EU citizens’ future rights under a no-deal Brexit, hours after Theresa May dismissed it as unworkable.

But less than an hour after Javid made his comments, Costa left his post as parliamentary private secretary to the Scotland secretary, David Mundell.

Sources close to Costa said he was given no option but to resign, after tabling the amendment calling on May to seek an urgent meeting with the EU to do a side deal securing the rights of EU citizens in the UK and British nationals settled in the EU, whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.

A source said: “It seems ridiculous for the government to be sacking a parliamentary private secretary over an amendment that has cross-party support and the support of upwards of 60 Tory backbenchers and Sajid Javid.”

In an extraordinary exchange at a select committee, Javid told MPs there was “nothing wrong” with the amendment.

But he admitted he had not heard May’s comments in the House of Commons on Tuesday, when she claimed it would have no chance of success in Brussels.

On Tuesday, the prime minister told the house the EU had said there was no “legal authority” to do a side deal on citizens’ rights without the permission of the other 27 member states. Costa said this was disingenuous, as all May had to do was go to the Council of Europe and ask leaders to mandate the European commission to do a deal.

When asked by an MP on the home affairs select committee what was wrong with the Costa amendment, Javid replied: “Nothing.”

The Scottish National party MP Stuart McDonald asked for clarity: “So is the government supporting that now?”

Javid replied that it was and asked: “When was the government not supporting it?”

Costa, the son of Italian immigrants, has been quietly lobbying May over EU citizens’ rights for two years.

More than 60 Conservative MPs have backed it, including the Brexiters Jacob Rees-Mogg, Dominic Raab and Iain Duncan Smith.

On Tuesday, Jeremy Corbyn also swung behind it, giving the amendment a strong chance of succeeding if selected by the Speaker for debate and a possible vote on Wednesday.

Returning to the point at the end of the committee meeting, Javid admitted he had not heard what the prime minister had said about the Costa amendment, while confirming the government would be backing it, but said he had “low expectations” that it would result in a deal with the EU.

“I’m perfectly happy with that amendment. What Mr Costa is doing with this amendment is trying to find more ways for parliament to give that reassurance,” he said.

“This is a backbench amendment and the government supports the amendment in that it sets out to achieve the principles we all agree on.”

The home secretary also came under sustained attack for the registration system the government is about to launch nationally for EU citizens.

The Labour MP Stephen Doughty described the “settled status” scheme as a shambles and told Javid the basis of registration was discriminatory as it required EU citizens to request rights they already had.

It would also re-categorise them in a no-deal scenario as a cohort of the population who did not have rights if they did not have a settled status ID.

“‘If people are having to secure those rights then, by definition, they don’t have those rights,” Doughty said. “You are at risk of having Windrush all over again.

“In a hostile environment, they are going to be at risk of not being able to access services, not being able to access housing, potentially being detained by the immigration authorities.” </s> Theresa May fired a ministerial aide today for trying to force the Government to bolster its protections for EU citizens after Brexit today.

Alberto Costa has tabled an amendment to tonight's non-binding Brexit votes in defiance of Government policy.

He was sacked as an aide to Scotland Secretary David Mundell as the proposal picked up dozens of signatures from across the Commons.

The plan demands Britain fully implements the section of the divorce deal applying to citizens' rights regardless of whether the deal is agreed by exit day.

Mr Costa's proposal appeared to have won Government support this morning as it was endorsed by Home Secretary Sajid Javid - who insisted he was 'perfectly happy' with it.

But within hours Government sources confirmed he had been sacked. Mr Javid appeared unaware of Mrs May's objection to the plan this morning.

Labour is also supporting the amendment and Mr Costa said yesterday it would be a 'farce' if the Government did not back down.

He said his amendment, which already has support from 130 MPs ranging from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to Tory arch-Eurosceptic Mr Rees-Mogg, would give the Prime Minister a mandate to push for a change with her fellow EU leaders.

The amendment calls on Mrs May to seek at 'the earliest opportunity a joint UK-EU commitment to adopt part two of the withdrawal agreement on citizens' rights and ensure its implementation prior to the UK's exiting the European Union, whatever the outcome of negotiations on other aspects of the withdrawal agreement'.

Welcoming the broad support for his plan this morning, Mr Costa tweeted: 'This issue transcends party politics, we are not dealing in borders or backstops, but people's lives and their livelihoods.

'I have been hugely encouraged by the messages of support and hope received from thousands of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens abroad.

'I very much hope, and look forward, to be taking my amendment forward today with support from MPs across the House, to give the Government a mandate to seek reciprocal citizens rights in order to bring EU and UK citizens the protections they both need and deserve.'

Mr Javid was grilled on the plan by SNP MP Stuart McDonald at the Home Affairs Committee this morning.

He said the Government was backing the amendment - prompting Mr McDonald to say he was 'delighted' to hear of the change.

Mr Javid exclaimed: 'What do you mean ''now''? When was it not supporting it? When did you hear that?'

Told Mrs May had opposed the amendment yesterday, Mr Javid stumbled and said: 'Right, okay. Well, I'm perfectly happy with that amendment.'

Mrs May said yesterday that the amendment would not work because while Britain was able to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living here it could not force EU countries to do the same.

She said: 'The EU does not have the legal authority to do a separate deal on the EU citizens' rights without a mandate.

'If it's not within that withdrawal agreement then it is a matter for individual states, and we have already taken that up with individual states.'

Mr Costa told her: 'If she says the [European] commission can't do it, what she needs to do is go to all the EU leaders and get them to tell the commission to take it off the table.

'She promised to protect citizens' rights more than two years ago and has failed to do so.

'The EU have asked us what we want and we will show them this is what we want.'

He told the Guardian: 'This is not about the single market or the customs union, this is about the rights of innocent people, most of whom did not have a say in the referendum, including British nationals in the EU.' </s> An MP sacked as parliamentary aide to the Scottish Secretary accused the UK Government of using EU citizens in the UK as a “bargaining chip” over the past two and a half years.

Alberto Costa was forced as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to David Mundell after lodging an amendment calling for the UK to seek agreement with Brussels on citizens rights even in a no-deal - even though his proposal was accepted by ministers.

Addressing MPs after losing his job in government, Mr Costa said it was a “very sad state of affairs” that his amendment was needed, and said the rights of EU citizens in the UK and Britons living in the EU “should never have been used as a bargaining chip”.

The amendment passed without a vote last night, with the government avoiding likely defeat after more than 140 MPs from all parties said they backed it.

Born in Scotland to Italian parents who have lived in the UK for decades without claiming British citizenship, Mr Costa has sought firm guarantees for EU citizens in all Brexit outcomes since the referendum in 2016. He was knighted by the Italian government in 2017 for his campaigning on behalf of European citizens.

The Prime Minister’s spokespeople said Mr Costa had resigned after breaking the convention that members of the government do not put down amendments to government business.

However, one government source said the South Leicestershire MP had been called in to the whips’ office shortly before quitting. Another source confirmed that Mr Costa had been “sacked”.

It sparked anger in the Scotland Office and many Tory MPs, with whom Mr Costa is a popular figure. One source at Dover House said Mr Costa was a “huge asset” to Mr Mundell’s department and described his exit as a “loss”, while another was quoted as saying his treatment had been “appalling”.

In a post on social media, the Scottish Secretary said he was “very sorry” to lose Mr Costa has his PPS. At Holyrood, the Tory finance spokesman Murdo Fraser called the sacking “hard to understand” and said Mr Costa “should be rewarded not punished”.

Mr Costa met with Theresa May following his resignation, and her spokespeople stressed the Prime Minister’s “deep admiration” for his work.

There had been confusion earlier in the day when Home Secretary Sajid Javid told the Commons Home Affairs Committee that he saw “nothing” wrong with the amendment, only for SNP MP Stuart McDonald to point out the Prime Minister had suggested it was legally unworkable the day before.

Mr Costa told the Commons that citizens’ rights “should never have been used as a bargaining chip during the negotiations for our withdrawal from the EU. That such rights were placed on the table in the first place was wrong.” Rights should have been ‘ring fenced’ in negotiations “at the outset”, Mr Costa added.

Mr McDonald said it was “shameful, and deeply ironic, that the first time someone in the Scotland Office actually does their job... they are swiftly given the sack”. </s> Labour accused Theresa May of sacking Alberto Costa over his amendment, even though the government ended up supporting the measure GETTY IMAGES

A ministerial aide was forced to resign over an amendment he tabled on EU citizens’ rights, despite having government support for the measure.

Downing Street announced that Alberto Costa had quit his unpaid role as parliamentary private secretary to David Mundell, the Scottish secretary, after tabling the amendment the previous evening.

David Lidington, the cabinet office minister, said the government would accept the amendment in the Commons, which is aimed at protecting the rights of EU citizens living in Britain in case of a no-deal Brexit. His announcement was greeted by Labour MPs asking: “Why has he been sacked then?”

A Tory source said that it was the convention that members of the administration should not table amendments to government motions. </s> Image copyright ©UK Parliament/Mark Duffy

MPs will have their say on the next steps for Brexit later after European leaders indicated they would consider delaying the UK's departure if a deal is not agreed by 29 March.

Germany's Angela Merkel said if the UK needed more time to get Parliament's approval, she would "not oppose" it.

Theresa May has said MPs will get a vote on delaying Brexit if her deal and a no-deal outcome are both rejected.

MPs will vote on amendments to a government motion in the Commons later.

Wednesday's votes are not on Mrs May's Brexit deal itself - she says that will happen before 12 March.

Instead, MPs are seeking assurances and to hold the PM to her commitment, made on Tuesday, to allow MPs a vote on extending 29 March's Brexit deadline to avoid Britain leaving without a deal.

The prime minister's critics have accused her of "kicking the can down the road" with her pledge to hold more votes before 12 March - just 17 days before Brexit.

But she insisted her efforts to persuade the EU to make concessions had "already begun to bear fruit".

The government has accepted an amendment by Conservative MP Alberto Costa, which seeks to protect the rights of UK citizens in the EU, and vice versa, regardless of the outcome of UK-EU negotiations.

The amendment - which calls on the UK to secure agreement on this at "the earliest opportunity" - had gained significant cross-party backing from 141 MPs - including Labour and the Democratic Unionists.

Despite this, Mr Costa has resigned his job as aide to Scottish Secretary David Mundell, because, he told MPs, of a convention that members of the government should not amend government motions.

He said he "welcomed" the government's support for his amendment but it did not go far enough.

He said he wanted ministers to spell out "exactly what measures" Theresa May will now take to guarantee citizens rights and urged her to write to European Council President Donald Tusk.

He said the rights of the estimated million UK citizens living in the EU, and the three million EU citizens in the UK, "should never have been used as a bargaining chip" in the government's Brexit negotiations.

Green MP Caroline Lucas praised Mr Costa's stand and called for him to be reinstated in the government.

Analysis by Nick Eardley, BBC Political Correspondent

It looks a bit strange, doesn't it?

The government accepts an amendment from a member of the government - but then essentially sacks that member of the government for tabling it in the first place.

I'm told by several people that Alberto Costa was left with no decision but to resign. He met with the prime minister this morning made it clear he wasn't backing down which sealed his fate.

That's left some Tories furious. They point out he has a personal interest in the EU citizens' rights issue given his Italian parentage and say he was simply trying to get assurances he had been offered by Theresa May backed by the Commons. One member of the government said the treatment of Mr Costa had been appalling.

But a senior ally of the PM says Mrs May was left with no choice. It is, they point out, against the rules for members of the government to table amendments to government motions. This is a clear black and white example of breaking, they conclude, unlike some recent comments from cabinet ministers which could be open to interpretation (again their argument, not mine).

Another junior member of the government says that if Mr Costa had moved his amendment as a member of the government tonight - and it had been passed - it would have set a terrible precedent and led to many more similar situations.

Five amendments - out of 12 originally tabled - were selected for debate by Speaker John Bercow.

The Labour leadership's amendment calls on MPs to support its alternative Brexit plan, which would include a "comprehensive customs union" and close alignment with the EU in the future.

If that proposal is voted down, Jeremy Corbyn has said the party would move to formally back another EU referendum "in order to prevent a damaging Tory Brexit" or no-deal outcome.

Mrs May has accused Labour of "playing political games" and argued the best way for the country to move forward is for MPs to approve the revised deal she hopes to bring back.

The SNP amendment insists the UK should not leave the EU in any circumstances without a deal "regardless of any exit date".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sajid Javid: "What do you mean now? When was the government not supporting it? When did you hear that?"

On Tuesday, Theresa May promised MPs a vote on delaying Brexit for a short period if MPs reject her deal and leaving without a deal.

This was designed to head off a potential defeat on a cross-party amendment tabled by Labour MP Yvette Cooper, which calls for the same thing.

Ms Cooper has not withdrawn her amendment, because she wants to hold the prime minister to her commitment.

She said: "We will keep up the pressure working cross-party to ensure the commitments are implemented... to avoid any backsliding and to make sure we do not end up with a chaotic no deal."

An amendment by Conservative MP Dame Caroline Spelman and Labour's Jack Dromey amendment - calling for Parliamentary time to make the PM's no-deal vote commitment legally binding - will not be put to the vote, following government assurances.

"The government has just confirmed acceptance of all the proposals in our amendments. There will not now be a no-deal Brexit In 30 days' time because there is not a majority in the House for crashing out without a deal," the MPs said in a joint statement.

What does it mean to table an amendment?

The process starts with the government putting down a motion. It is a plain piece of text, asking the House to note the prime minister's most recent Brexit statement - made on Tuesday - and that discussions between the UK and the EU are ongoing.

This then allows MPs to table amendments - alternative options - to that motion, setting out their proposals on what they think should happen next.

Please upgrade your browser Your guide to Brexit jargon Enter the word or phrase you are looking for Search

Mrs May said any delay to the UK's departure should not go beyond the end of June and "would almost certainly have to be a one-off".

Extending Article 50 would require the unanimous backing of the other 27 EU member states - something they have indicated they would be happy to do.

Speaking on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would "not oppose" a request from the UK for more time although French President Emmanuel Macron struck a more sceptical note, saying there had to be a "clear objective" behind any extension.

"As our negotiator Michel Barnier has said, we don't need more time but decisions," he said during a meeting in Paris. "The time has come therefore for the British to make choices." </s> Speaker John Bercow has selected five amendments to be considered as MPs prepare for the latest votes on the Government’s negotiating strategy for Brexit.

Any successful amendments will not have the force of law but will carry heavy political weight as a signal to Downing Street and Brussels of what kind of Brexit MPs are likely to approve.

Here’s a look at the key amendments:

Tory backbencher Alberto Costa is demanding Mrs May seeks a treaty on citizens’ rights after Brexit. Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said the Government backs his amendment.

His amendment, which has the backing of more than 140 MPs from across the House, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, calls for a separate agreement with the European Union to protect the rights of expats even if there is a no-deal Brexit.

Cooper

 Labour former minister Yvette Cooper has tabled an amendment seeking to pin the Prime Minister down to the commitments she made to the Commons on Tuesday.

Mrs May offered MPs a chance to vote to delay Brexit if her deal is rejected again next month, in a move which closely matched demands put forward in a plan by Ms Cooper and Tory Sir Oliver Letwin.

While Sir Oliver said there was now “no need” for the Cooper/Letwin Bill, Ms Cooper said she would lay a cross-party amendment to secure confirmation of the Prime Minister’s commitment.

Spelman/Dromey

 Conservative MP Dame Caroline Spelman and Labour’s Jack Dromey, who last month tabled a successful amendment opposing a no-deal Brexit, have tabled an amendment to “pave the way” for the Cooper/Letwin Bill to give MPs the opportunity to extend the two-year Article 50 negotiation process.

The pair said they would seek assurances from ministers to secure confirmation of the Prime Minister’s commitments during the debate on Wednesday.

They said if they receive the assurances they will not push the amendment to a vote.

Labour

 Jeremy Corbyn’s amendment seeks support for his party’s five Brexit demands.

The party is calling for a permanent and comprehensive customs union with the EU; dynamic alignment on rights and protections; commitments on participation in EU agencies and funding programmes; “unambiguous” agreements on the detail of future security arrangements; and close alignment with the single market.

Liberal Democrats have tagged their own amendment on to Mr Corbyn’s proposals, calling for an extension of Article 50 to provide time for a referendum.

The SNP’s amendment requires the PM to immediately rule out a no-deal Brexit “under any and all circumstances” and regardless of exit date.

The party’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said Parliament must take control and “force the UK Government to do the right thing by immediately ruling out a no-deal Brexit under any and all circumstances”.
Conservative MP Alberto Costa tables an amendment to secure the rights of EU citizens within the UK and UK citizens abroad. Theresa May tells Commons she opposes the amendment; Home Secretary Sajid Javid subsequently supports it, apparently unaware of May's opposition. Costa resigns as parliamentary private secretary to Scottish Secretary David Mundell, who supports the amendment. The government subsequently announces it will support the amendment.