Theresa May is facing 'judgment day' on Brexit after securing a withdrawal agreement with Brussels.
At an emergency Cabinet meeting tomorrow afternoon, she will warn ministers it is now 'make or break' for avoiding a chaotic exit.
Downing Street believes it has headed off plans that could have led to Northern Ireland being 'annexed' by the EU after Brexit and insists it has laid the groundwork for a 'good deal'.
Theresa May is facing 'judgment day' on Brexit after securing a withdrawal agreement with Brussels
But No 10 is on alert for possible resignations tomorrow, with Eurosceptic ministers under intense pressure from hardliners not to approve a 'Brexit in name only'. Brexiteers launched a pre-emptive strike against the agreement, crying betrayal and calling on the Cabinet to 'show spine' and block it.
Iain Duncan Smith warned the Prime Minister's 'days were numbered' if she tried to keep the UK tied to Brussels.
Mrs May's ability to get a deal through Parliament was put in doubt when Eurosceptic MPs were joined at a Westminster press conference by senior figures in the Democratic Unionist Party.
They voiced fury at reports that the proposed agreement could drive a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. However Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who was one of the leaders of the Leave campaign, is expected to back the plans.
Iain Duncan Smith warned the Prime Minister's 'days were numbered' if she tried to keep the UK tied to Brussels
Moderate Tories last night accused leading Brexiteers of 'throwing their toys out of the pram' before they have even seen the details of the proposed withdrawal agreement.
On a dramatic day:
- Cabinet ministers were last night trooping in for one-to-one briefings with Mrs May and her team;
- Officials confirmed a final agreement could be put to EU leaders on November 25, with MPs asked to vote on it before Christmas;
- Opposition leaders wrote to Mrs May calling for a ‘truly meaningful vote’ in the Commons;
- Tory chief whip Julian Smith said he was confident MPs would fall in line;
- Boris Johnson called on Eurosceptic Cabinet ministers to mutiny;
- The DUP joined Eurosceptics and Labour to make the Government publish the full legal advicen the impact of the agreement;
- The pound surged to a seven-month high against the euro.
Yesterday's breakthrough came after days of gruelling negotiations in Brussels, in which both sides made further concessions.
Downing Street was tight-lipped about the contents of the withdrawal agreement, which runs to more than 400 pages of legal text.
An accompanying document on the 'future framework' is said to be as short as five pages, and is set to be the subject of intense negotiations.
But sources said Brussels had backed down over the controversial 'backstop' plan which is designed to prevent a return to a hard border in Northern Ireland if trade talks falter.
Last week, seven Cabinet ministers, including the Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (pictured) warned Mrs May that the UK must have a 'unilateral' exit clause from the backstop arrangement
The EU had demanded a scheme that would have kept Northern Ireland in the customs union after the rest of the UK left. Brussels has now accepted a proposal that could keep the whole UK in a temporary backstop until trade terms are finalised.
A Government source said: 'The idea of a Northern Ireland-only customs backstop has been dropped. There is no backstop to the backstop.'
Last week, seven Cabinet ministers, including the Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab warned Mrs May that the UK must have a 'unilateral' exit clause from the arrangement. Sajid Javid yesterday became the latest minister to warn the deal would not get through Parliament without this.
Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom was on No 10's 'resignation list'
But the proposal was rejected by Brussels and is thought to have been replaced by a complex joint mechanism, which will raise Eurosceptic fears that Britain could be 'trapped' in a customs union against its will.
Further concern may centre on the EU's demand for a 'level playing field' guarantee, which could see the UK made to follow Brussels rules during any backstop period.
Mr Raab and the so-called 'Brexitettes' – Andrea Leadsom, Penny Mordaunt and Esther Mcvey – were all on No 10's 'resignation watch' over the issue last night. Earlier this week, Miss Mordaunt suggested the Cabinet was ready to act as a check on Mrs May's Brexit compromises.
But Mrs Leadsom last night hinted she would stay, saying: 'I had a good discussion with the PM and will be at Cabinet for further conversations with colleagues tomorrow.' A friend of Mr Raab said he appeared 'upbeat' about the agreement.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said ministers would have to reflect on the detail.
Irish news organisations claimed the agreement involved deeper customs and regulatory checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, breaching a DUP 'red line'.
A Whitehall source last night dismissed this claim as Dublin 'spin'. The source warned there was no realistic prospect of further concessions from Brussels, adding: 'It's make or break time. This is the basis for a good deal, but the negotiators are clear they have taken this as far as they can.'
The DUP said it had been kept in the dark, raising doubts about the future of the confidence and supply deal that props up Mrs May's minority government at Westminster.
DUP Leader Arlene Foster and Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds talk to the media
DUP leader Arlene Foster warned: 'An agreement which places new trade barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain will fundamentally undermine the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom.
'That is not acceptable. Over time, such a deal will weaken the Union. No unionist prime minister could argue that such a deal is in the national interest. These are momentous days and the decisions being taken will have long-lasting ramifications.'
Members of the European Research Group urged ministers to block the deal. Chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg said: 'It is a failure of the Government's negotiating position, it is a failure to deliver on Brexit and it is potentially dividing up the United Kingdom.'
Former foreign secretary Mr Johnson said: 'For the first time in a thousand years, this place, this Parliament, will not have a say over the laws that govern this country. It is a quite incredible state of affairs.'
But moderate MPs suggested the Eurosceptic response had little to do with the details of the deal. Simon Hart, founder of the Brexit Delivery Group of MPs, which is backing efforts to strike a deal, said: 'This is now judgement day. Every minister and MP needs to weigh up what's on offer, compare it with alternative outcomes and make their decision and live with the consequences.
'Using this moment to play politics or grandstand will rightly be greeted with dismay by all our voters, irrespective of whether they voted to leave or remain.
'We are looking for calm assessment of the position not the political hysteria which has been all too frequent when discussing Europe.'
EU diplomats yesterday said they believe the moment of truth on whether a Brexit deal has been reached will emerge today when Michel Barnier's team updates member states in Brussels.
The meeting had originally been intended only to cover no-deal preparedness but has now had 'state of play' on the talks added to the agenda. It has also been shifted forward two hours.
One diplomat said: 'Tomorrow we will see if there is white smoke in Whitehall and in Brussels in terms of whether there has been a solution found and a deal agreed.' Another said: 'The ball is on the side of the UK and its internal processes. It's now for Theresa May's Cabinet to decide if it is satisfied.'
Further Brussels sources last night said the deal would include a review before the end of the transition to determine whether to trigger the Irish backstop.
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News Pictures PM is told her ‘days are numbered’ as she battles to get historic Brexit deal through cabinet
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