Labour wars over anti-Semitism and the party’s new pro-second referendum stance have been the focus of the news this week.
But the glare was brought back to Brexit today, however, when a Sunday Times report revealed the hardline Tory faction the European Research could back Theresa May’s deal if it passes three key tests.
The group, which is said to be working alongside the DUP, want a legally-binding mechanism to escape the backstop, with a clear exit route and an unambiguous rewrite of the language in the government’s legal advice.
Almost every Sunday newspaper also carried a picture of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney, who was killed in an apparently unprovoked knife attack in Romford.
The sad news prompted calls for Theresa May to do more to tackle violent crime.
Jodie was the 18th person to be killed by violent crime in London this year, and the fifth teenager to die.
Here is your round up of the Sunday politics shows.
Brexit
Trade Secretary Liam Fox, a staunch Brexiteer, told the Andrew Marr Show he could support a delay to Article 50, while Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said he thought MPs had to unite “on the basis of a very British compromise”.
It is still not clear, however, what that compromise might be.
McDonnell has signalled Labour will whip its MPs to back a bid for a new Brexit referendum, while seeming to concede that many would rebel.
“I think on an issue as this we would see a whip but also you’ve got to respect people’s views and their constituency interests as well, and the whipping arrangement will be determined in discussion in due course,” he said.
“I just say this - and I think it’ll be for MPs right the way across the House in all parties now - that they’ve got to look to the long-term interests of the country, they’ve got to protect people’s jobs, they’ve got to protect the economy, otherwise we’ll never be forgiven in the future.”
Backbencher Caroline Flint, who is one such potential rebel, wants the Labour leadership to allow a free vote on May’s deal.
She told Sky News it was “so those MPs who want a second referendum can vote for that but those of us who want to keep our promises to our electorate can also keep faith with those people and vote for an improved deal.”
Flint added: “I think there is something like 60 or 70 Labour MPs who feel as strongly as I do against a second referendum.”
MPs in the “tens, twenties, thirties” want a better Brexit deal, she said.
Former prime minister Tony Blair was still making the case to Labour MPs on BBC1′s Andrew Marr Show.
He said: “Vote against the deal, use an extension to come to a conclusion - hard versus soft or back to the people.
“I think you’ll get to another referendum when people understand that a hard Brexit is going to be deeply economically painful for the country and a soft Brexit means we just become a rule-taker.”
Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey appeared to cast doubt over whether Labour would push for remain to be on the ballot in any new vote.
“We have got to look at that potential option of putting her (the PM’s) deal, or a number of other leave options, to the people,” she said, before adding: “We are not looking to overturn the result of the referendum.”
Labour’s position on Brexit may be irrelevant, however, if the PM can unite Tory Brexiteers around a compromise on the Northern Irish backstop.
ERG member Charlie Elphicke told the BBC any changes Attorney General Geoffrey Cox brings back from Brussels will be judged against the tests by the group.
Elphicke said changes need to be legally binding and at treaty level, the language must not just simply reiterate the temporary nature of the backstop, and there “needs to be a clear and unconditional route out” of the arrangement.
The MP said: “We do need to just get that small change, which is that there should be an end date to that backstop and then, I think, we can move forward.”
Former farming minister George Eustice, who resigned this week over the possibility of Brexit deadline extension, suggested he could back the deal.
He also batted away claims by the NFU that crashing out would be “disastrous” for farmers, and the UK should walk away if MPs rejected the government’s agreement.
“If parliament cannot accept this deal we have to have the confidence and the courage as a country to walk away first and talk after,” he said.
“The other thing about no deal is that it doesn’t mean no deal forever more.
“It’s a bit of a misnomer. No deal, probably, in effect means an informal transition period for nine months.”
On Brexit being delayed, meanwhile, Fox told Marr: “It would be very unfortunate were that to happen.
“But, if we have no option, in order to deliver a smooth Brexit, then so be it.”
Fox also failed to rule out the UK accepting hormone-treated beef and chlorine-washed chicken in a US-UK post-Brexit trade, however.
Pressed on the implications on food standards, Fox said: “You take the chlorine-washed chicken, a lot of our food is already chlorine-washed, the salads that we get.
“The question is not about safety, the question is about the implications for animal welfare further down the track.”
The Cabinet minister added: “There is a world beyond Europe and there will be a time beyond Brexit.”
Knife Crime
Shadow housing minister and Croydon MP Sarah Jones called for the Prime Minister to take “personal charge” of the knife crime epidemic.
The Labour chair of the Commons’ Home Affairs Select Committee, Yvette Cooper, echoed calls for action.
“Teenagers are dying on our streets,” she said in a statement. “This week two more lives have been tragically lost to this appalling violence, after 16 deaths already this year – 5 of them teenagers.
“Families are being devastated. Fatal stabbings are now at their highest level since records began with no sign that the problem is being turned round.
“The government needs to act with much greater urgency to tackle this and make this a top Home Office priority as the serious violence strategy ministers announced last year was too empty to make a difference.”
In a sign the government may be listening to such calls, prisons minister Rory Stewart said there had to be “a really relentless focus” on understanding what is driving knife crime.
“So, that’s everything from making it more difficult to actually acquire knives in the first place, getting into schools, looking at education programmes making sure that we understand the connection between knife crime and drugs and putting investment in.”
The government came in for criticism last month, however, when it emerged that all of the “new money” being handed to the police will be swallowed up by a pensions blackhole in forces’ budgets.
Labour Anti-Semitism Row
After eight MPs deserted the party over claims Jew-hatred was rife, McDonnell admitted that Labour “clearly” has “a problem” with anti-Semitism.
He denied, however, the MPs’ assertion that Labour is “institutionally anti-Semitic” and said party figures suggest 0.1% of members “seem to have been involved in some form of anti-Semitism”, telling Sky News: “It’s a tiny number but it’s still a problem - I don’t want one anti-Semite in our party.”
In a later interview with the BBC, McDonnell backed Labour’s general secretary, Jennie Formby, in her war of words with deputy leader Tom Watson.
The row between Formby and Watson exploded on Friday when she accused the deputy leader of “unacceptable” behaviour by asking MPs to forward anti-Semitism complaints to him as well as the party.
Watson hit back at Formby’s comments on Friday, stating he had acted because of a “complete loss of trust” in the party over how complaints were being handled.
“What Jennie is concerned about is anyone setting up a parallel system of dealing with cases,” said McDonnell.
“That wouldn’t be right. This has got to be dealt with by the party itself.”
He added: “What you don’t want is individual politicians in particular getting involved in setting up some form of parallel process.”
McDonnell’s remarks came as Labour seeks to appoint former lord chancellor Charlie Falconer to scrutinise disciplinary procedures.
Labour former cabinet minister Lord Falconer said he is willing to take on a role and is “very keen” the terms are agreed to ensure he has the required resources to be effective.
He also warned members of the Jewish community have made it clear they have “absolutely no confidence” in Labour nor leader Jeremy Corbyn to adequately fight anti-Semitism, adding the party’s electoral chances could be damaged by such a characterisation.
TIG
The Labour Party has been in turmoil since eight MPs broke away to sit as members of the new Independent Group, also known as TIG.
While no MPs from TIG gave interviews to broadcasters on Sunday, Tony Blair was quizzed on whether he had any role in their decision to resign from Jeremy Corbyn’s party.
He denied he was involved with TIG MPs’ plan to split the party but said he had “sympathy” with them.
And while describing their actions as “courageous”, he said he will stay in Labour because he is “deeply attached” to the party.
He also told Marr: “I’m in touch with them [the TIG MPs] and I have spoken to some of them.
“I’ve got a great deal of sympathy with what they’re doing and what they’re saying.”