A taste of things to come for MPs if they vote to extend Brexit – Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party now officially has more MEPs than UKIP. Eight UK MEPs now sit in Farage’s Brexit Party – Tim Aker, Jonathan Bullock, David Coburn, Bill Etheridge, Nathan Gill, Paul Nuttall, Julia Reid and Farage himself, ahead of Gerard Batten’s fringe UKIP rump of seven. Bullock says the Brexit Party will “fully mobilise” to take on the Tories at any subsequent European or General election if the Tories “rat” on their manifesto commitment to leave by 29 March. The votes for both parties will soar if the UK is forced into the humiliation of another European Parliament election…

The EU is already braced for a major surge in support for Eurosceptic parties in May’s elections – the last thing they want is for them to be a Brexit flashpoint as well. MPs who think they can force a Brexit delay simply by passing a few votes in Parliament may be in for a nasty surprise…