The European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator has warned that last night’s votes in the House of Commons have made a hard Brexit “nearly inevitable.”
British MPs rejected all four Brexit options put to them in a second round of “indicative votes” aimed at finding a way forward that can command a Parliamentary majority.
An option for the UK to remain in a customs union with the EU came closest to passing – but was rejected by three votes.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May will hold a five-hour crisis meeting of her divided Cabinet this morning in a bid to break the impasse.
***
The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is travelling to Paris today to discuss the latest Brexit developments with the French President, Emmanuel Macron.
Ahead of the meeting, Mr Varadkar again warned that it is up to the UK to outline how it plans to move forward.
He also said France remains steadfastly behind Ireland on the backstop.
He is due to meet with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Dublin on Thursday – with a number of calls scheduled with other European leaders throughout the week.
***
The Facebook CEO will visit the company’s headquarters in Dublin today.
As part of his visit, Mark Zuckerberg will discuss privacy, cyberbullying and political interference with members of the Oireachtas Communications Committee.
Last week, the company introduced new rules aimed at preventing foreign interference and increasing transparency ahead of the European elections.
Over the weekend, Mr Zuckerberg wrote an article calling for national governments to play a greater role in regulating the internet.
***
Ambulance workers are holding their fifth day of strike action over union rights and representation today.
Some 500 members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) will down tools from 7am to 5pm.
Workers are calling for the HSE to recognise their right to be represented by the PNA – which established its ambulance branch in 2010.
The Union has said the HSE has failed to respond to three invitations to talks on the dispute from the Workplace Relations Commission.
***
A study is warning that hitting the snooze button could have a detrimental effect on your mental health.
The study by Goldsmith's University in the UK found more than 80% of people admit doing it at least once every morning.
The researchers are calling for the function to be removed from mobile phones.
Report author Professor Michael Banissy said hitting snooze can lead to reduced alertness, attention and working memory.