The DUP warned ministers to abandon their Brexit deal roadshow today instead send Theresa May back to Brussels to renegotiate the deal before disaster in Tuesday's vote.
Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said the divorce deal was 'fatally flawed' while it contained the backstop on the Irish border as David Lidington, Mrs May's deputy, visited Belfast to promote it.
Around 30 ministers are stumping for the deal around the country today despite expectation it could be defeated by up to to 200 votes in an cataclysmic humiliation for the PM on Tuesday.
Boris Johnson renewed his attack on the deal today, saying it was full of 'exquisite humiliations' and branding the backstop a 'diktat that might be imposed on a nation that has suffered a military defeat.'
Mr Johnson is leading the revolt against the deal and has already moved to kill off a potential compromise amendment designed to create a series of votes on the backstop option in 2020.
Senior ministers have demanded Mrs May come up with an 11th hour escape as she fights to avoid a catastrophic defeat of her deal on Tuesday night.
More MPs were threatening to quit the Government over the deal today. Mike Wood was the latest to warn he would resign from his job as aide to Liam Fox without changes.
Theresa May (pictured in Maidenhead today) faced a new Brexit crisis today as the DUP and Tory rebels rejected an attempted compromise on the backstop out of hand
Boris Johnson (right in Covent Garden on Wednesday) renewed his attack on the deal today, saying it was full of 'exquisite humiliations' and branding the backstop a 'diktat that might be imposed on a nation that has suffered a military defeat'
No 10 said today it was 'considering' a proposal by Tory loyalists to create a 'parliamentary lock' on the backstop, which keeps Britain in a customs union with the EU if there is no final trade deal.
But the idea of votes, with commitments to strike agreements to escape the backstop within a year, were rejected by critics within hours.
Pressure is mounting rapidly on Mrs May ahead of Tuesday's showdown, amid claims she should try and call off the vote or go back to Brussels before it happens.
Graham Brady, the chairman of the powerful backbench 1922 Committee, has led calls for a delay.
Brexiteers have said Mrs May needs to tell Brussels to remove the backstop from the deal or face a landslide loss on Tuesday night.
In other developments, it was claimed today senior allies of Mrs May have urged her to consider a new referendum on her deal or remaining in the EU - something the PM has repeatedly rejected.
Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said the divorce deal was 'fatally flawed' while it contained the backstop on the Irish border as David Lidington, Mrs May's deputy, visited Belfast to promote it.
DUP leader Arlene Foster has already rejected out of hand an attempted compromise that could have salvaged Tuesday's vote for the PM
Mr Dodds said it was time for ministers to abandon their attempts to save the deal.
He said: 'Rather than a roadshow selling the fundamentally flawed Withdrawal Agreement, I would prefer the Government would listen to MPs all on sides of the House Commons and finally acknowledge the backstop is dangerous for Northern Ireland and the entire United Kingdom.
I want to see a sensible deal and we can get one. This is not a binary choice between this Withdrawal Agreement and no deal
'It is time for the Government to recognise the genuine opposition to this Withdrawal Agreement and seek fundamental change by getting rid of the backstop.
'With London, Dublin and Brussels all stating categorically that they will not build a hard border in any circumstances, there is no need for this backstop arrangement.'
Mr Lidington - Mrs May's deputy - visited a business in North Belfast as part of the national tour.
He said senior DUP politicians had recently assured him the confidence-and-supply agreement propping up the minority administration was still in place.
David Lidington, Mrs May's deputy, is in Belfast today (pictured) as part of a national effort by ministers to stump for the deal
Mr Johnson lashed the deal for its 'exquisite humiliations' today as he renewed his criticism of the plan
'As with any minority government, there are going to be squalls and difficulties in a Parliament where the Government does not have an automatic majority in either house, but that is not something new to British history.
'We had it in the seventies, we had it with the coalition government under David Cameron and Nick Clegg, you have it in a great many European democracies.
'As a matter of routine you have minority governments and you just have to work through, look for compromises, have discussions, I am very confident that we will continue.'
In a new Facebook post today, Mr Johnson escalated his criticism of the backstop.
He said: 'There are many exquisite humiliations in the so-called 'deal' with the EU that parliament is being asked to endorse on Tuesday – but the essential problem can be boiled down to this.
'Theresa May's deal hands the EU the indefinite power to bully and blackmail this country to get whatever it wants in the future negotiations.'
He added: But by far the worst aspect of this 'backstop' arrangement is that we cannot get out of it without the express approval of the other side. They have a veto on our exit.
'It is quite incredible that any government could agree to such terms. They resemble the kind of diktat that might be imposed on a nation that has suffered a military defeat.'
Ministerial Mr Wood told the Guardian: 'What I have indicated to the prime minister is that while I support most of the deal, I have some big issues with the backstop. If some of those aren't addressed then I don't think I will be able to support it.
'Clearly the ministerial code says that if I can't support, I would have to resign. I am very much hoping that there are enough changes and reassurances by Tuesday for me to vote with the government.'
A new amendment to Tuesday's vote was tabled by Tory loyalists overnight setting out a series of Commons vote on using the backstop
A new amendment to Tuesday's vote was tabled by Tory loyalists overnight setting out a series of Commons votes on using the backstop.
The plan, from Hugo Swire and Richard Graham, says Parliament should vote in March 2020 on the state of plans to avoid a hard border and whether or not Britain should trigger a transition period extension in June 2020.
The idea is to persuade Brexiteers Britain cannot be forced into the backstop and will not be left inside it forever - despite legal advice saying this could happen.
Mrs Foster said the plan was just 'tinkering' and did not change the main problem that Brussels has the power to veto whatever decision Britain makes.
She said: 'The legally binding international Withdrawal Treaty would remain fundamentally flawed as evidenced by the Attorney General's legal advice.'
Mr Johnson rejected the idea out of hand yesterday, stating that it was not workable.
Speaking in the Commons before the details of the amendment emerged, he said: 'The PM says she wants to let Parliament choose whether to enter the backstop or extend the 'transition'
'This is simply not possible. Under her deal the EU has the legal right to stop us extending the transition and make us enter the backstop – whatever the PM or Parliament says.'
Nikki da Costa, the former No 10 director of legislative affairs who quit over the deal, suggested the amendment was a Downing Street plant.
She told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg: 'I know a government amendment when I see one.'
Nikki da Costa, the former No 10 director of legislative affairs who quit over the deal, suggested the amendment was a Downing Street plant
Last night, Mrs May held around an hour of talks with ministers including Philip Hammond, Ms Rudd, Sajid Javid, Liam Fox, David Lidington, David Gauke, Andrea Leadsom, Michael Gove and Stephen Barclay.
The Telegraph said today she gave only 'non committal' response to pleas for a choice among four possibilities, including delaying the vote.
Chief whip Julian Smith apparently admitted a defeat by up to 200 votes was not impossible. Many expect the defeat to run to at least three figures without a new plan.
The Cabinet is divided over what to do. One camp, including Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, are advocating delay to the vote.
Also in favour of a postponement is Sir Graham, who is in charge of calling any confidence vote in the PM, who told Sky News: 'I don't think there is any point in ploughing ahead and losing the vote heavily.'
Others, including Chancellor Philip Hammond, say everything necessary must be done to prevent no deal.
Sources told MailOnline last night's meeting was 'taking stock' of the situation.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today that Downing Street had been 'very clear' that the Brexit vote would not be delayed.
Ahead of Tuesday's vote, Mr Hancock told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'I think that we should make the argument, make the case and persuade people. That's what you have parliamentary debate for.'
He added: 'I don't know how likely 'no deal' is. It is what happens automatically unless Parliament passes something else.
'I very strongly feel that the best thing for the country, not just for the health service but for the country as a whole, is for Theresa May's deal to pass.'
As wrangling over the vote continues, BuzzFeed News said No 10 aides have raised the prospect of a new Brexit referendum as a way to save the deal.
Mrs May has angrily rejected the idea, sources told the site, because it fails to respect the 2016 vote.
Frustrated Cabinet ministers demanded Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street last night) come up with an 11th hour plan to save her Brexit deal yesterday as crisis talks discussed likely defeat on Tuesday
Ministers will fan out across the country today to sell the deal.
Mr Hammond will visit a Chertsey school, while Mr Hancock will head to a hospital in Portsmouth where he will announce almost £1 billion of funding for health facilities across England.
No deal would be WORSE for Ireland than the UK and mean food shortages
A no deal Brexit would be worse for Ireland than the UK, Government papers claim fuelling demands for Theresa May to tell Dublin to drop the border backstop (file image)
A no deal Brexit would be worse for Ireland than the UK, Government papers claim fuelling demands for Theresa May to tell Dublin to drop the border backstop.
Leaked papers suggest Ireland would face foot shortages and a 7 per cent plunge in GDP if there was a sudden no deal in March.
It compares to a 5 per cent drop in the UK - with the gap fuelled by Ireland being a more open economy than Britain.
The bleak picture has prompted Cabinet ministers and leading Brexiteers to plead with Mrs May to exploit Dublin's position before Tuesday's vote, The Times reported.
Remainers said it was 'morally reprehensible' to threaten Ireland given the bloody history of the Troubles.
Priti Patel, the former cabinet minister, told the Times: 'This paper appears to show the government were well aware Ireland will face significant issues in a no-deal scenario.
'Why hasn't this point been pressed home during the negotiations? There is still time to go back to Brussels and get a better deal.'
Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, Mrs May's de facto deputy, will meet small business leaders in Belfast and Scotland Secretary David Mundell will speak to employers in Glasgow.
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, meanwhile, will visit engineering companies in Peterborough and the East Midlands.
Mrs May said: 'We have delivered a deal that honours the vote of the British people.
'I've been speaking to factory workers in Scotland, farmers in Wales and people right across the country, answering their questions about the deal and our future.
'Overwhelmingly, the message I've heard is that people want us to get on with it.
'And that's why it's important that ministers are out speaking with communities across the UK today about how the deal works for them.
In interview yesterday on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mrs May said her fear was that 'Parliament in some way frustrates Brexit'.
The premier also confirmed that she is looking at ways to sweeten her blueprint for mutinous MPs - suggesting there could be a parliamentary 'lock' on the Irish border backstop arrangements coming into force.
Mrs May will head to Brussels on December 13, two days after the crunch Commons vote.
If she loses the vote, EU leaders would offer her the chance to extend the Article 50 process to avoid a no-deal Brexit, reported The Telegraph.
But Downing Street has ruled this out.
The EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier insisted that the agreement with Theresa May was the only deal on offer and there was no scope for change.
In a speech at the European Committee of the Regions, he said: 'I must say once again, today, calmly and clearly: It is the only and the best possible agreement.'
He added that Brexit was a 'lose-lose' situation and the deal was an exercise in 'damage limitation'.
On the issue of the Irish backstop, Mr Barnier said: 'It is a legally operational form of insurance that will ensure that we never see the return of a hard border, that we have north-south co-operation on the island of Ireland and that we protect the integrity of the single market.
'The backstop is not there in order to be used, necessarily. We will do our utmost to avoid ever having to use it.'
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News Pictures New Brexit crisis for May as DUP and Boris Johnson reject plan
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
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kim cattrall
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SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
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https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/12/07/15/7136402-6470681-Theresa_May_pictured_in_Maidenhead_today_faced_a_new_Brexit_cris-m-42_1544195680224.jpg
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