PM UNDER FIRE
Theresa May faces blizzard of attacks from hostile MPs as she tries to convince them to back her Brexit deal on December 11
The PM has been accused of blackmail for telling Tories they may lose their jobs if they vote against her
THERESA May was today roasted on all sides by furious MPs in a sign of the uphill struggle she faces in getting her Brexit deal signed off.
The PM faced hostile attacks from Brexiteers, pro-EU Tories, Labour, the DUP and all other parties as she made a Commons statement.
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Mrs May has embarked on a two-week publicity blitz to try and force her deal through Parliament in a vote which was today confirmed for December 11.
But barely any MPs spoke in favour of the withdrawal agreement during a marathon Commons session this evening, suggesting the PM will be in serious trouble when the vote comes next month.
Top Brexiteers kicked off the attacks - Iain Duncan Smith warned that Britain would be "under intolerable pressure" in future talks with the EU because of the hated Irish backstop.
And former Brexit Secretary David Davis called on Mrs May not to pay the £39billion divorce bill to the EU until a full trade agreement is sealed.
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Boris Johnson pointed out the splits inside the Government, saying: "It is very hard to see how this deal can provide certainty to business or anyone else."
Tory Remainers also hit out - Anna Soubry said: "The majority of people in this House will not vote in favour of the Prime Minister's deal, despite her very best efforts, so she needs Plan B.
"What is the Prime Minister's Plan B?"
Labour's Angela Eagle mocked Mrs May's promise to achieve a "smooth and orderly" exit from the EU, asking: "In the Prime Minister's lexicon, is 'smooth and orderly' the new 'strong and stable'?"
Jeremy Corbyn stormed: "The Prime Minister may have achieved agreement across 27 Heads of State, but she has lost support of the country.
"This deal is not a plan for Britain’s future. So for the good of the nation this house has little choice but to reject this terrible deal."
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In total 31 different MPs from six parties lined up to criticise Mrs May before the first friendly comment - more than an hour into the marathon Commons session.
Perhaps the biggest blow came from Michael Fallon, the ex-Defence Secretary seen as a Tory loyalist who would support the deal.
He asked: "Are we not being asked to take a huge gamble here?
"Is it really wise to trust the future of our economy to a pledge merely to use best endeavours?"
As Mrs May embarked on her mission impossible:
- The PM held a crunch Cabinet meeting ahead of her Commons showdown
- She hit out at French president Emmanuel Macron over his threat to hold Britain hostage over Brexit
- Mrs May vowed the UK won't get trapped in the hated Irish backstop
- The Government began a publicity blitz, taking out ads and launching a nationwide tour to promote the deal
- The PM's new Brexit Secretary admitted it would be a "challenge" to win the vote in Parliament
- Economists claimed the deal would cost Brits more than £1,000 each
- Jean-Claude Juncker said Britain faced a choice between the PM's deal and No Deal
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At a Brussels summit yesterday, Mr Macron suggested Britain could never get a trade deal without handing over control of our fishing waters to the EU.
But today Mrs May said Europe's leaders had repeatedly tried and failed to link the issue of trade to fishing rights.
She added: "It is no surprise some are already trying to lay down markers again for the future relationship, but they should be getting used to the answer by now - it is not going to happen."
Speaking in the Commons, the PM also offered an olive branch to Brexiteers - insisting the UK won't stay closely tied to the EU for ever.
Dozens of Tory MPs have vowed to oppose the withdrawal agreement because of the "backstop" which is meant to avoid a hard border in Ireland.
How MPs from all sides tore into Theresa May during fiery Commons session
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn: "This deal is not a plan for Britain’s future."
Tory challenger Boris Johnson: "It's very hard to see how this deal can provide certainty to business or anyone else."
His brother Jo Johnson: "Could I ask her to tell me which region of the United Kingdom will be more prosperous than under the present arrangements in the EU?"
DUP's Sammy Wilson: "Does the Prime Minister not recognise that she is handed the EU a cudgel which it will use to mug us?"
Remain ringleader Dominic Grieve: "How can we seriously say to people that the Northern Ireland backstop will not act as a fetter on our future freedom of action?"
Veteran Brexiteer Bernard Jenkin: "Can I say how sad I am that I can't support this deal?"
Tory Remainer Anna Soubry: "What is the Prime Minister's Plan B?"
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith: "Does she recognise the genuine and real concern held on all sides of the House about what would happen if the UK was to be forced into the backstop?"
Ex-Brexit Secretary David Davis: "If the EU really intends in good faith to rapidly negotiate a future trade agreement why can we not make the second half of the £39 billion conditional on delivering it?"
Senior Labour MP Yvette Cooper: "This isn't a deal for the future, it's just a stopgap."
Fervent Brexiteer Mark Francois: "The House of Commons has never, ever surrendered to anybody and it won't start now."
Former Defence Secretary Michael Fallon: "Are we not being asked to take a huge gamble here?"
Brexit-backing Labour centrist Frank Field: "Does the Prime Minister accept that we can only leave the backstop with the permission of the other 27 EU countries, and therefore they are in the position to demand any ransom?"
Tory pro-EU rebel Justine Greening: "How can the Prime Minister reassure the house that this debate we're about to have on her deal will be based on fact and evidence, and not more false promises to the British people?"
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Mrs May told Parliament the UK can quit the Irish backstop in future - even if a future PM opts for a looser trade deal with Europe.
She said: "This is an insurance policy that no one wants to use.
"If we did choose the backstop, the legal text is clear that it should be temporary and that the Article 50 legal base cannot provide for a permanent relationship.
"Furthermore, as a result of the changes we have negotiated, the legal text is now also clear that once the backstop has been superseded, it shall cease to apply.
"So if a future Parliament decided to then move from an initially deep trade relationship to a looser one, the backstop could not return."
She admitted she is not "entirely happy" with the backstop - which is meant to take effect if Britain and the EU fail to strike an alternative trade deal which keeps the border open.
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But Mrs May insisted: "Put simply, there is no deal that comes without a backstop, and without a backstop there is no deal."
The PM concluded: "This deal honours the result of the referendum while providing a close economic and security relationship with our nearest neighbours and in so doing offers a brighter future for the British people outside of the EU.
"And I can say to the house with absolute certainty that there is not a better deal available. My fellow leaders were very clear on that themselves yesterday.
"There is a choice which this house will have to make. We can back this deal, deliver on the vote of the referendum and move on to building a brighter future of opportunity and prosperity for all our people.
"Or this House can choose to reject this deal and go back to square one. Because no one knows what would happen if this deal doesn’t pass. It would open the door to more division and more uncertainty, with all the risks that will entail."
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The PM was this morning accused of "blackmail" after warning Tory MPs they could lose their jobs if they don't back her on Brexit.
Mrs May is trying to sell her deal directly to the public by launching a frantic two-week campaign.
She hopes voters will put pressure on politicians to back her in the Commons vote, pencilled in for December 11.
But furious Tory MPs blasted the PM's strongarm tactics and claimed that SHE is the greatest risk to the party's future.
Mrs May's deputy David Lidington and No10 chief of staff Gavin Barwell have invited Labour MPs to a briefing on the details of the withdrawal agreement.
Sources from the pro-Brexit European Research Group attacked Mr Barwell - who once said: "We mustn’t do this on Labour votes, it’ll destroy the party."
And Labour MPs mocked the attempt to build bridges - shadow minister Andrew Gwynne joked: "Do we get knighthoods for attending?"
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Speaking in Brussels yesterday as EU leaders signed off on the withdrawal agreement, Mrs May said: "I believe, when it comes to it, MPs will be thinking about the need to deliver on the vote of the British people and will be thinking about the impact of this deal on their constituents.
"I think their constituents want to ensure that their jobs and livelihoods are protected and that's what this deal does."
“Or this house can choose to reject this deal and go back to square one. It would open the door to more division and more uncertainty, with all the risks that will entail."
MPs from all sides of the spectrum hit out at Mrs May for trying to threaten Parliament.
Labour's Virendra Sharma, a backer of the Best for Britain campaign for a second referendum, said: "The Prime Minister's deal is a bad deal and yet she still seems to be trying to blackmail MPs into voting for it. It just won't work."
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen added: "The biggest danger to Conservative Members of Parliament reclaiming their seats is if they allow the Prime Minister to sell out on Brexit."
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Andrea Jenkyns, another passionate Brexiteer, said: "None of us will buy this. We are more likely to lose seats with her Brexit shambles - she and her policy are making us all unelectable."
One Conservative MP told The Sun they expected a General Election within six months - and warned that Labour could beat the Tories if Leave voters turn against Mrs May.
This morning Stephen Barclay, the new Brexit Secretary, said the Commons face-off next month would be "a challenging vote".
He told the BBC: "It's now the job of all of us in Cabinet to make the case to our colleagues, to make the case to the country."
Mrs May is expected to embark on a tour of the UK to promote her deal to the public.
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The Government is also spending thousands on advertising the deal - for example, they have paid Google to promote it to anyone who searches for Brexit.
EU bosses are adamant that talks can't be reopened and the current deal is the only one on the table.
Jean-Claude Juncker said today: "This is the only deal possible. So, if the house says no, we would have No Deal."
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis asks if the £39bn exit payment is conditional
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