Brexit draft agreement – what happens now?
THERESA May’s draft agreement with the European Union has led to a spate of resignations from her cabinet.
From a no-deal Brexit to a Tory leadership challenge – let’s take a look at what could happen next.
What has happened?
Mrs May’s withdrawal agreement with EU leaders has been branded “soft” by members of her own party.
The agreement would leave Britain tied to the EU for years and could break up the UK by forcing Northern Ireland into a different legal regime.
Cabinet powerbrokers Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Work and Pensions Minister Esther McVey have quit in protest over the deal which they believe goes against the party’s manifesto promises.
Mr Raab announced this morning that he won't support the PM's Brexit deal, telling The Sun: "I don’t want to submit to the blackmail of my country."
Ms McVey blasted the agreement, saying it "does not honour the result of the referendum" and could break up the UK.
She claimed she couldn't look voters in the eye if she sold out Brexit by backing a plan which leaves Britain "trapped in a customs union".
Two junior ministers, Suella Braverman and Shailesh Vara, also quit in protest, along with ministerial aides Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Ranil Jayawardena.
What happens now?
Parliament will vote on May’s deal
Despite sizeable opposition within her own party, Mrs May said she will attempt to push the deal through Parliament.
A vote in the Commons on the agreement will likely happen next month following the EU’s Brexit summit on November 25.
Before then, Mrs May could be hit with more resignations and a vote of no confidence within her own party.
In Febraury, the European Parliament will also vote on the deal - if it hasn't already collapsed by then.
A Tory leadership election?
Following the string of cabinet resignations, angry Tories led by Jacob Rees-Mogg are plotting a challenge to Mrs May’s leadership.
Boris Johnson joined an emergency meeting of mutinous MPs on November 15 where plotters were set to launch a vote of confidence.
Rees-Mogg confirmed that he WILL send a letter to Sir Graham Brady - the Tory backbench chief who oversees leadership elections.
This makes it more likely the key threshold of 48 letters will be reached within hours sparking a leadership election.
Mr Rees-Mogg, who chairs the powerful European Research Group of pro-Brexit Tories, called for Mrs May to resign - adding that a Brexiteer such as BoJo should replace her.
His decision to send a letter backing a leadership challenge is expected to encourage his allies to do likewise - putting the PM's career in mortal danger.
A snap general election?
Senior figures at Number 10 are said to have had “discussions” about campaign planning in the event Theresa May fails to get her "soft" Brexit deal through Parliament.
Private talks were reported to have taken place following the disastrous summit at Salzburg.
A snap election could be on the cards as the PM may struggle to pass the divisive divorce plan through Parliament amid mutiny from Tory backbenchers at the DUP.
Britain leaves EU on March 29, 2019
The UK officially leaves the EU - but nothing will change if the withdrawal agreement has been confirmed, because it will include a 21-month transition period.
No Brexit deal?
Mrs May is fighting back against opponents of her blueprint for Brexit, saying Parliament will have to choose between her proposal and crashing out of the European Union without a deal.
It would mean scrapping a 21-month transition period lasting until the end of 2020, and the exit would be immediate.
Brexiteers say it would be a boost for the UK to be free from Brussels rules and we will be able to strike deals with other upcoming nations around the globe.
We would also not be obliged to pay the £39billion divorce bill, according to a House of Commons report - but Chancellor Philip Hammond sparked fury by saying we would pay up even without a deal.
Many people fear the UK economy would be hurt by a "cliff edge" Brexit as trade is held up by new border checks and tariffs and more red tape for businesses.
Doom-monger Bank of England governor Mark Carney has warned house prices could crash by a third in a worst-case scenario.
Customs checks on cross-Channel freight could cause havoc at ports, hitting food supplies and other goods such a motor parts.
In a pure no-deal scenario, businesses would lose their passporting rights, which allow them to sell their services across the EU without having to obtain licences in each individual country.
A no deal would also see residency rights for EU nationals in the UK potentially disappear overnight.
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In theory, these people would become "third country nationals", meaning they would be subject to domestic immigration rules.
There is also uncertainty over what would happen at the 310 mile border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
The EU's rules may require Ireland to impose customs and other checks to protect the bloc’s border – which some say would mark a return to the dark days of the Troubles.
It could blow a hole in the Good Friday Agreement, with pressure on all sides to find a compromise.
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