NOW OR NEVER
On day Britain should be quitting the EU, MPs have one more chance to back PM’s Brexit deal and get OUT – or risk never leaving at all
MPS will tomorrow have one more chance to back Theresa May's Brexit deal - on the day Britain was supposed to leave the EU.
The PM announced tonight she is holding a third vote on the withdrawal agreement in a last-ditch bid to ensure Brexit will take place on May 22
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But she faces an uphill struggle in getting the deal passed as the DUP, Tory hardliners and nearly every Labour MP continue to hold out against it.
As Westminster faced unprecedented chaos:
- No10 desperately tried to gather enough support to push the deal through
- Jeremy Hunt and Dominic Raab fired the starting gun on the upcoming leadership contest
- Boris Johnson claimed the deal is "dead" even though he now backs it
- Remainers vowed to hold another round of "indicative votes" which could force a softer Brexit
- Tory MPs floated the idea of teaming up with Labour to form a national unity Government
Tonight Andrea Leadsom confirmed the Government plans to hold another vote on the Brexit deal tomorrow.
But it will not be an exact rerun of the first two "meaningful votes" - after Commons Speaker John Bercow said the deal can't return to Parliament unchanged because it's already been defeated twice.
Instead MPs will vote only on the withdrawal agreement, without the attached "political declaration" governing the future trade deal between Britain and Europe.
That would allow Britain to quit the EU on May 22, but leave open questions about the future relationship.
In a highly symbolic move, the vote will take place on March 29 - which was set in stone as the date Britain would leave more than two years ago, before being rubbed out by MPs this month.
Mrs Leadsom said this evening: “The European Union will only agree an extension until May 22 if the withdrawal agreement is approved this week. Tomorrow’s motion gives Parliament the opportunity to secure that extension.
"I encourage all MPs to support it and ensure that we leave the EU on May 22, giving people and businesses the certainty they need."
But Labour's Keir Starmer stormed: "Making a blind Brexit even more blind is not going to solve their problem."
IT'S DUP TO THEM
No10 aides were today engaged in talks with the DUP to try and persuade them the withdrawal agreement won't divide the UK.
The key could be a so-called "Stormont lock" which guarantees that Northern Ireland and Great Britain will never diverge without the say-so of Belfast's politicians.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the top Brexiteer who's close to the DUP, said: "I think the issue really is whether something could be done in the Withdrawal Bill that would reassure them.
"The United Kingdom could decide to continue to have the same law as in Northern Ireland - and if that were put in statute, that might satisfy the DUP."
And Treasury Secretary Liz Truss told ITV: "I believe it will go through and we will be able to get some form of agreement and that is the only good path for our country.
"We are still working and still talking with the DUP on how we can secure their support for the deal."
But tonight the DUP insisted their position remains unchanged and they will vote AGAINST the withdrawal agreement.
Mrs May told Tory MPs last night she would leave as soon as Brexit is delivered.
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The desperate move instantly succeeded in winning over Brexiteer big beasts including Boris Johnson and Iain Duncan Smith.
But within hours, DUP boss Mrs Foster dashed the PM's hopes, saying her ten MPs would block any attempt to force the deal through this week.
Without the backing of the Unionists, it's almost impossible for the Government to succeed in the Commons.
At least 15 hardline Tories - dubbed "The Spartans" - are likely to vote against the deal no matter what.
Mark Francois quipped: "I wouldn't vote for it if they put a shotgun in my mouth."
If the PM's deal doesn't make it through Parliament this week, Brexit will be plunged into further uncertainty.
Although the legal default will remain No Deal on April 12, Parliament is almost certain to force through a delay of around a year.
In a sign of the ongoing chaos, MPs last night voted on eight different Brexit outcomes - and rejected each one of them.
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An EU spokesman said today: "We counted eight No's last night - now we need a Yes for the way forward."
Damian Green, one of Mrs May's closest allies, suggested the PM would stay in office if her deal collapsed.
He said: "She sees it as her great duty to get a Brexit deal, so she will carry on as long as she is Prime Minister doing that."
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DUP leader Arlene Foster says her party will not support Theresa May's withdrawal agreement
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