DEAL US OUT
Brexit mutineers warn Theresa May her deal is STILL dead despite PM’s victory on Irish border and trade
A draft deal on post-Brexit trade was published today - but senior Tories queued up to savage it in a furious Commons encounter
FURIOUS Tory rebels today warned Theresa May her Brexit deal has no hope of succeeding even though she scored a victory over EU chiefs.
The PM insisted a deal is "within our grasp" as she forced Brussels to back down on the Irish border and secured a key concession on trade.
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But in a blow to her hopes of forcing the agreement through the Commons, key Tory MPs warned her they still can't vote for the deal if it contains the hated Irish backstop.
Big beasts including Iain Duncan Smith, Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab queued up to savage Mrs May's proposals in a fiery Commons encounter.
Brussels today admitted in a draft trade agreement that technology COULD be used to solve the thorny issue of the border, using "Max Fac" solutions at the frontier as part of a future deal between the UK and EU.
But the backstop - which keeps Britain in the customs union if no alternative is agreed to keep the Irish border open - will stay in the withdrawal agreement as an "insurance policy".
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As the Brexit deal neared completion:
- Last-minute negotiations continue round the clock ahead of a Brexit summit on Sunday
- Spain threatened to try and veto the agreement
- The PM held talks with current EU president Sebastian Kurz
- The pound soared by nearly 1% on increased hopes of a smooth Brexit process
- Theresa May briefed the Cabinet on the deal over the phone this morning
- But ministers have urged Mrs May to prepare a Plan B in case her Brexit deal is rejected by the Commons
- Jacob Rees-Mogg ruled himself out of a leadership bid and backed Boris Johnson instead
The Prime Minister said in the Commons this afternoon: "The text we have now agreed would create a new free trade area with the EU, with no tariffs, fees, charges or quantitative restrictions.
"The British people want Brexit to be settled. They want a good deal that sets us on a course for a brighter future, and they want us to come together as a country and to move on to focus on the big issues at home, like our NHS.
";The deal that will enable us to do this is now within our grasp. In these crucial 72 hours ahead, I will do everything possible to deliver it for the British people."
But senior Tories responded by telling Mrs May that the backstop - which could leave Britain tied to the EU customs union permanently - makes her deal toxic.
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Ex-leader Iain Duncan Smith said: "The withdrawal agreement will make it very clear that should we struggle with a negotiation for a free trade arrangement and not complete that process, we will fall into the Northern Ireland backstop.
"I would hope that she would now consider that none of this is at all workable unless we get the withdrawal agreement now amended so that any arrangements we make strip out that backstop."
Former minister Owen Paterson added: "As long as the backstop is in existence in a legally binding document, there is a danger that should talks fail the backstop becomes accepted.
"We would have the horror of falling into a customs union, the horror of having Northern Ireland separated from the rest of the United Kingdom."
The pair are seen as key to the success of Mrs May's deal because they are both ardent Brexiteers who have refused to join the leadership challenge to the PM.
And Dominic Raab rubbed salt into the wound, a week after he resigned as Brexit Secretary, saying: "The backstop ties the United Kingdom to the customs union and single market rules with no voice and an EU veto over our exit.
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"The top reason people voted to leave the EU was to take back control of our laws. Isn't it the regrettable but unmistakable reality that this deal gives even more away?"
Boris Johnson blasted: "We should junk forthwith the backstop which makes a complete nonsense of Brexit."
Steve Baker, the Brexiteers' shop steward, asked the PM: "Which independent country would want to submit to these kind of arrangements?"
Mark Francois, another leading member of the hardline European Research Group, described the deal as a "Hotel California" Brexit which will allow the UK to check out but never to leave.
Mrs May also received a blow from her DUP allies as the party's chief whip demanded that she ditch the backstop or risk seeing her proposals go down in flames.
Jeremy Corbyn said the deal "represents the worst of all worlds - no say over the rules that will continue to apply and no certainty for the future.
"This is waffle. The blindfold Brexit of a Government that spent more time arguing with itself than negotiating for Britain."
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The admission that Britain CAN trade freely around the world while keeping the Irish border open represents a win for the PM as she battles a Brexiteer rebellion.
The document released today provides the "future framework" of a trade deal between the UK and EU, and is expected to be signed off on Sunday alongside the withdrawal agreement published last week.
But a number of key issues remain apparently unresolved, with no agreement yet on fishing rights or the status of Gibraltar.
And in a worrying sign for Brexiteers, it still states that the final deal will "build and improve" on the customs union which stops Britain cutting trade agreements around the world.
Mrs May hopes that it will provide enough guarantees of future freedom to win over dozens of wavering Tories who are reluctant to back her deal when it comes to Parliament next month.
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Speaking in Downing Street before her Commons statement, she said: "I have just updated the Cabinet on progress and will be making statement to the Commons this afternoon.
"This is the right deal for the UK - it delivers on the result of the referendum and brings back control of our borders, our money and our laws.
"And it does so while protecting jobs, protecting our security and protecting the integrity of the United Kingdom."
Laying out the next steps, Mrs May added: "The agreement is between the UK and the European Commission.
"It is now up to the 27 leaders of the other EU member states to examine this in the days leading up to the special EU council meeting on Sunday. I will be speaking to my counterparts over that time.
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"The British people want this to be settled. They want a good deal that sets us on course for a brighter future. That deal is within our grasp and I am determined to deliver it."
Hardline Brexit backers were quick to slam the document - Bernard Jenkin said it was "far worse" than the details revealed last week, while Steve Baker suggested it was an attempt to "fool" MPs into supporting the PM.
Andrea Jenkyns said: "The British people are not stupid. There will be a backlash if we deliver a deal such as this."
A source from the European Research Group added: "The political declaration is not legally binding, vague, aspirational and little more than a smokescreen to cover up the fact that the permanent relationship is the customs union backstop.";
On the key question of future customs arrangements, the text says: "The Parties envisage making use of all available facilitative arrangements and technologies".
It goes on: "Such facilitative arrangements and technologies will also be considered in developing any alternative arrangements for ensuring the absence of a hard border on the island of Ireland on a permanent footing."
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The Sun revealed earlier this week that secret plans were being drawn up in No10 to win back angry Brexiteers who have threatened to vote down her deal in the House of Commons.
Both sides have now agreed on "alternative arrangements" that can be used to keep the border invisible.
A technological solution to the border dilemma, known as "maximum facilitation", was initially proposed by former Brexit Secretary David Davis but rejected by Mrs May last summer.
The EU previously described it as "magical thinking" and pushed hard for the backstop which would keep Britain and the EU tied together for years to come.
But Brexiteers went to see Mrs May in No10 this week about the technological plans, which were also discussed in a crunch Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
In today's report obtained by The Sun, officials stress the UK will be able to do our own trade deals around the world once we exit the transition period.
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They say any UK-EU pact will "respect the result of the 2016 referendum including with regard to the development of its independent trade policy and the ending of free movement of people between the Union and the UK."
The new wording from Brussels comes after Mrs May made a last-minute dash to Brussels to negotiate with EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker last night.
Officials worked through the night in a desperate bid to get a deal ready.
A political declaration on a relationship between UK and EU after Brexit has been agreed in principle this morning, the European Council said.
But German diplomats are still worried it won't be locked down by tomorrow - and are threatening to boycott the Sunday summit if it's not.
And while the text will reassure eurosceptics on Max Fac, other areas will represent a major headache for the PM.
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The document contains no references to "frictionless" trade in goods, as pushed for by Downing Street as a revival of the Chequers plan.
Instead it only pledges "a trading relationship on goods that is as close as possible, with a view to facilitating the ease of legitimate trade".
And it states that Britain's new relationship will "build and improve on the single customs territory provided for in the Withdrawal Agreement" - which will raise fears that the UK will be tied to the bloc for years to come.
Negotiators have also laid down the law on so-called Level Playing Field provisions, which will see Britain effectively mirror EU legislation in key areas.
And the key question of fishing remains up for discussion - angering Brexiteers who want guarantees the Britain can take full control of UK waters as soon as possible.
The agreement said the UK will be an "independent coastal state" but that there should be a "new fisheries agreement" to come into place after we leave the transition period to specifically involve "access to waters and quota shares".
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No10 said it had "fiercely resisted" efforts from the EU to tie us down to link a trade deal with access to waters - and it would all be up for negotiation at a future point.
But Scottish Tory MP Ross Thomson blasted: "This means sovereignty over our waters sacrificed for a trade deal. That is unacceptable. We must be a normal independent coastal state like Norway."
Eurosceptic ministers have been pushing Mrs May to try and win a better deal from Europe.
But today Andrea Leadsom denied that she is part of a "gang of five" along with Michael Gove, Penny Mordaunt, Liam Fox and Chris Grayling.
She told MPs: "There isn't a gang of five, never was."
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Theresa May and EU bosses have to sign off on the deal in time for the weekend's main summit.
If they agree, it will go on to be approved by other EU leaders from the other 27 nations for a crunch meeting in Brussels this Sunday.
When that's signed off, work can FINALLY begin on a trade deal with the EU as we gear up to quit the bloc on March 29.
PM tells EU we'll build our OWN satellite system if Brussels block us out
THERESA May is pressing ahead with plans to build a new British satellite system in a snub to Brussels.
The EU is trying to force Britain out of key parts of the £9billion Galileo programme after Brexit.
The PM has now reportedly told ministers she would rather leave altogether than stay half-in, half-out.
Instead she wants to step up efforts to develop a separate UK-only system to compete with Galileo.
A source told The Times: "The view is that they will realise in time that they’ve made a mistake and we shouldn’t push it.
"We can do this stuff on our own - and they know it."
The EU has told Britain it will be shut out from the military aspects of Galileo after Brexit, while UK companies will be banned from bidding for contracts on the programme.
Theresa May meets Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels ahead of Brexit meeting
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