Steve Barclay has claimed Jeremy Corbyn is “alone” in his refusal to visit Downing Street to discuss Brexit, amid fresh pleas for no deal to be ruled out.

The Brexit Secretary criticised the Labour leader in the Commons as union bosses, including Unite general secretary Len McCluskey, were lined up to visit Theresa May.

Mr Barclay’s remarks came as he sidestepped Labour questions to reveal exactly what the Prime Minister is planning following the thumping defeat for her Brexit deal.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said Mrs May has been “very vague about her intentions”, while Hilary Benn, Labour chairman of the Exiting the EU Committee, demanded a no-deal Brexit be ruled out to “stop this slow and damaging haemorrhage” of business from the UK.

But Brexit Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said it was “ridiculous” that MPs were complaining about no deal while opposing the Withdrawal Agreement, adding: “It’s like complaining about the rain, we offer them an umbrella and they reject the umbrella – it’s absolute madness.”

Several Labour MPs also criticised ministers after Tom Enders, chief executive of aerospace giant Airbus, warned that the company may pull out of the UK over the Government’s handling of Brexit.

Speaking during Brexit questions, Sir Keir asked: “Will the Prime Minister, when she goes to the EU, be seeking either legally-binding changes to the Withdrawal Agreement or simply reassurances or, still less, clarifications?”

In his reply, Mr Barclay said: “I genuinely don’t know what the Labour position is.”

He added: “There is a parallel universe going on – it’s one where everyone else is engaging, even Len McCluskey is joining us today in Number 10 for discussions … and yet in the parallel universe to which (Sir Keir) referred, alone seems to be sitting the Leader of the Opposition unwilling to engage with anyone.

(PA Graphics)
(PA Graphics)

“We are listening to the House, we’re listening to the concerns of Members on all sides of the House – including our confidence and supply partners – and we’re working constructively to address concerns of the business community that we’ve heard.”

Sir Keir noted: “That’s the definition of a non-answer. Our policy is a comprehensive customs union and a single market deal – it is in our manifesto, and I think there’ll be a majority in this place if it’s put to a vote.

“I look forward to tomorrow’s headlines but I doubt it’s going to be ‘Len McCluskey and Theresa May have agreed on a way forward’.”

Sir Keir later asked if and when Mrs May intends to put her Brexit deal before the Commons again, with Mr Barclay replying that “whatever deal we bring forward will need to secure the confidence of the House and that will entail a vote”.

Shadow Brexit minister Matthew Pennycook also asked when the Government would “finally come clean with the public” and admit that a no-deal exit on March 29 was “not viable”, while frontbench colleague Jenny Chapman went on to say that the Government was “pretending” when it came to leaving the EU with no agreement.

Labour’s Darren Jones (Bristol North West) earlier raised concerns over the “deeply disturbing” statement from Airbus.

He asked: “Firstly, how many people the Government is willing to be seen made redundant in order to keep the Conservative Party together, and secondly whether those workers deserve the democratic right of a People’s Vote?”

In response, Mr Barclay said: “The crux of the issue is that the industries concerned want a deal, support a deal, his party, and indeed he, stood on a manifesto committed to delivering on the biggest vote in our history … the question he needs to answer is why is he going back on the manifesto he gave to his own voters?”