Watch live: Madrid statement on Catalonia after deadline passes

Madrid is set to make a statement about Catalan independence at 10.30 CET – you can watch it live in the player, above. It comes after Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy threatened to impose direct rule on Catalonia unless the region’s leader Carles Puigdemont retracts by 10am CET an ambiguous declaration of independence he made last week. Puigdemont declared independence following a referendum but then suspended it and called for talks with Madrid. Rajoy is likely to impose article 155 of Spain’s 1978 constitution, which allows him to take control of a region if it breaks the law. Puigdemont told members of his Catalan Democratic Party on Wednesday night that not only he would not back down but that he would press ahead with a more formal declaration of independence if Rajoy suspends Catalonia’s political autonomy.