Brexit deal latest – Theresa May could be brought down by DUP allies as they go on STRIKE to protest against Brexit plans
A senior DUP MP warned the Prime Minister is on the 'road to defeat' if she refuses to compromise on Brexit
THERESA May is on the road to defeat over her "ludicrous" Brexit plans, allies warned today.
The DUP fired a shot across the PM's bows by going on strike for a key Commons vote last night in a sign they are prepared to kick her out of office.
Brexiteers fear Mrs May is poised to sign Britain up to a deal with Brussels which could keep us tied to the customs union after we quit the EU.
And the unionists are furious at reports that Northern Ireland could stay in the EU's single market - which would hinder the flow of goods across the Irish Sea.
Mrs May relies on the DUP for her majority in the Commons after striking a deal with the party following last year's snap election.
But last night, the party's ten MPs refused to back the Government in a vote on the Agriculture Bill which will govern Britain's farming after Brexit.
DUP MP Sammy Wilson said the strike was ";a reminder not to take DUP support for granted".
He : "The briefings and leaks about the shape of the Irish backstop would suggest that some consideration is being given to the destructive demands being made by Barnier & co.
"If the Government decides in the face of EU belligerence to cut and run and leave part of the UK languishing in the stifling embrace of the EU, then that would be unacceptable to us and many others in the Commons.
"The road which the leaks and briefings is outlining is the road to parliamentary defeat for any deal the Prime Minister brings forward."
DUP sources said yesterday that they could vote down the Budget - potentially bringing down Mrs May altogether - in a Brexit protest.
EU negotiators will refuse to sign a Brexit withdrawal deal unless Britain agrees to a "backstop" for the Irish border which would take effect in the absence of a future trade deal.
The PM is reportedly preparing to approve a backstop which would keep the UK in the customs union temporarily.
Ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith today warned Mrs May to "listen very carefully" to the DUP's complaints.
He told the BBC's Today programme: "A lot of us are concerned that in the hunt, in the chase for some kind of settlement what we'll end up doing is accommodating this ludicrous Irish backstop, which doesn't and shouldn't exist.
"The idea of us staying in the customs union is pretty near unacceptable."
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Top Brexiteer Steve Baker also called on the PM to pay heed to the "absolutely furious" DUP, adding: "No one should underestimate their resolve."
And David Davis repeated his criticism of the Chequers plan, calling it "a £39billion pig in a poke".
Tonight the PM will hold a meeting of senior Cabinet ministers where she will lay out her Brexit position ahead of next week's European Council summit in Brussels.
Tory rebels to form pro-EU group in opposition to Mogg's ERG
PRO-EU Tories are planning to set up their own pressure group in a bid to push Theresa May towards a soft Brexit, it was claimed today.
Up to 30 MPs reportedly want to create a formal grouping in the Commons.
They are frustrated that Eurosceptics in the party have been better at co-ordinating their attacks and forcing the PM to maintain a hard line on Brexit.
The European Research Group, chaired by Jacob Rees-Mogg, has repeatedly convinced Mrs May to amend Brexit legislation to reflect their concerns.
By contrast, pro-EU rebels have inflicted just one defeat on the PM over the past year as they have failed to stay united.
The new group will be formed by the end of October in good time for crunch votes expected in coming months, the Guardian reported.
It could be chaired by a high-profile ex-minister such as Justine Greening or Nicky Morgan.
But the rebels may end up being divided over whether or not to back a second referendum on Brexit.
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