Theresa May was today warned by the DUP to change her 'toxic' Brexit deal or face a humiliating defeat in the Commons in just nine days time.
The PM tried to drum up support for her controversial blueprint, going on the BBC this morning to warn the UK will enter 'uncharted territory' if her deal is voted down.
But her words fell flat with the DUP who said the PM must change the 'poisonous' Irish backstop plan in order for them to back her deal.
The small Northern Irish Party only have ten MPs but they wield a huge amount of power as they are propping the Tories up in No10.
Nigel Dodds, the DUP's Brexit spokesman, said: 'Theresa May still insists that what she has negotiated is a good deal. She should remember that it would already have been consigned to the bin but for her pulling the vote in December.'
He added: 'This is a time for the United Kingdom to make clear what it wants and needs for a Withdrawal Agreement to pass Parliament so that the EU is in no doubt as to what's required for a deal.
'The backstop remains the poison which makes any vote for the Withdrawal Agreement so toxic.
'The EU has shown in the past that it will move but only if faced with a resolute red line on the part of the UK government.
'The coming days will show if this government is made of the right stuff.'
Theresa May (pictured left on the BBC's Andrew Marr how today) denied reports that she is set to delay the crunch Brexit vote again as MPs remain deadlocked over the deal. But the DUP's spokesman Nigel Dodds (pictured right) warned her that she must tear up the hated Irish backstop to stand a chance of getting her deal backed by MPs
His warning comes as the PM braces herself for what are set to be some of the toughest weeks in her political career.
She is kicking the New Year off with a Brexit charm offensive to try to persuade some of the 100 Tory MPs who oppose her deal to back her plan.
Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show today she denied reports that she is set to delay the crunch Brexit vote again as MPs remain deadlocked over the deal.
But the Prime Minister refused four times to rule out bringing her deal back to be voted on repeatedly if it is rejected by MPs first time.
And she also refused to rule out holding a second Brexit referendum if MPs voted to back one - although she said she opposes one.
Tory Brexiteers today warned Mrs May that their opinions have hardened over the Christmas break and that 100 Tory MPs are still dead set against it.
Kicking off her latest Brexit PR blitz with an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mrs May insisted that most Britons want politicians to stop squabbling and back her deal.
Mrs May said that she is planning a three-pronged attack to win over her mutinous MPs - to give greater reassurances on the hated Irish backstop, give a greater role to Parliament as the UK enters the second stage of Brexit talks, and to win more concessions out of the EU.
But she admitted that 'we are still working' on getting any fresh assurances out of Brussels.
But Mrs May also refused to say how long she plans to stay on as Tory leader after promising her warring MPs that she would quit before the next election.
Mrs May insisted that the Brexit deal will still be voted on around January 15 as planned - but revealed she is working on a string of changes to try to win over MPs.
The PM denied reports she is preparing to delay the Brexit vote again amid predictions she will face a humiliating defeat.
She said 'we are going to hold the vote', and pressed if this would be on January 15 she added: 'That sort of timing.'
If the Brexit deal is voted down later this month then No10 is said to be determined to keep bringing back until MPs eventually pass it.
The plan has sparked fury among backbench MPs who have warned they will not to be browbeaten into backing the deal.
The exasperated presenter Andrew Marr said to the PM: 'I've asked you three or four times if you would bring this vote back again and again.'
But Mrs May replied: 'I'm saying let's remove the first if and get this vote through the House of Commons.'
She said Labour was 'playing politics' and opposing any deal to create 'the greatest chaos' possible.
'We have got people who are promoting a second referendum in order to stop Brexit, and we have got people who want to see their perfect Brexit.
'I would say don't let the search for the perfect become the enemy of the good because the danger there is that we end up with no Brexit at all.'
And she also refused to put a timescale on her departure as Tory leader after promising her mutinous MPs that she would quit before the next election.
She said: 'I was clear before Christmas with my colleagues on two things: one, I'm not going to call a snap election and secondly that I'm not going to be leading the party into the 2022 General Election.
'What colleagues have said they want me to do is to deliver Brexit, which is what I am working on doing and also deliver on the agenda I set out when I first became Prime Minister.'
Her appearance on TV comes at the start of what is set to be some of the toughest months of her political career.
Her Brexit deal is being voted on by MPs in just over a week's time - but there is no sign that the overwhelming opposition she faced last year has weakened at all over Christmas.
Steve Baker, Tory MP and Brexiteer organiser in chief, told MailOnline: 'The sooner we vote down this deal the better.
'We can then go back to the EU with a better deal for the UK, a new protocol on the Irish border which would have permanent arrangements we could be proud to take forward with a free trade agreement.
'But none of this is possible until we have voted down this unacceptable deal.'
Tory MP and Brexiteer ringleader Jacob Rees-Mogg today warned the PM that her Eurosceptic backbenchers 'have bot gone soft over Christmas' and still plan to vote her deal down.
While several Remainer Tories have teamed up with Labour MPs which could force a Donald Trump-style shutdown of the Government unless the PM guarantees that Britain will not let the UK crash out of the EU with no deal.
Mogg warns May Brexiteers 'have not gone soft' and will vote her deal down
Jacob Rees-Mogg said Brexiteer MPs had 'not gone soft over Christmas', adding that he expected more than 100 Tory MPs to revolt against the withdrawal agreement
Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned Theresa May that Brexiteer MPs have 'not gone soft over Christmas' and are preparing to vote down her Brexit deal.
The Brexiteer rebel ringleader said that he expected more than 100 Tories to revolt against the Withdrawal Agreement when it comes to the crunch Commons vote this month.
It comes amid reports that Tory activists have effectively gone on strike - refusing to campaign or raise party funds - amid fury at the PM's Brexit deal.
Theresa May had hoped that her mutinous MPs would calm down over the festive season and return to Parliament ready to compromise on Brexit.
Number Ten is laying on drinks parties for every Tory MP as they return from their Christmas holidays this week in a fresh Brexit charm offensive.
But Mr Rees-Mogg - who led the failed bid to oust Mrs May as Tory leader late last year - insisted that Tory Brexiteers are in no mood to back down.
He told The Sunday Express: 'This strength of feeling ought to be responded to by the leadership of the party and not stamped upon.'
Her TV interview comes after she used an article in the Mail on Sunday to warn her rebellious MPs: back my Brexit deal or voters will lose their jobs.
The Prime Minister issued a patriotic rallying cry, telling her opponents that they 'must realise the risks they are running with our democracy'.
With days to go until the Commons showdown on her deal, Mrs May says that MPs thinking of voting it down should consider the effect on 'the jobs our constituents rely on to put food on the table for their families'.
The vote was pulled at the last minute in December after party whips told Mrs May that more than 100 Tory MPs were expected to join forces with the DUP and Labour to defeat the measure in protest at the Irish 'backstop'.
The Plan B is hugely unpopular as critics claim it could trap Britain indefinitely in a form of customs union with the EU and threatens the integrity of the UK.
But as MPs return to the Commons tomorrow after their Christmas break, there appears to be little sign of any climbdown by the rebels without a major concession from Brussels – despite No 10 laying on a 'charm offensive' programme of drinks with Mrs May in the coming days.
Her only hope of securing Commons backing may lie in her persuading a sufficient number of Labour MPs to support the deal.
This newspaper understands that senior Tory figures were in contact with Labour MPs over the Christmas period, with begging calls even being made late on Christmas Eve in some cases.
Concessions on 'workers' rights' are believed to have been offered in an attempt to garner Labour backing.
In her article, Mrs May repeatedly hails the strength of British democracy, and describes 'our genius for pragmatism' as 'a defining British trait'.
Describing 2019 as the year when the UK could 'turn a corner', she says: 'At moments of profound challenge, we always find a way forward that commands the confidence and consent of the whole community. This is such a moment.'
The Prime Minister calls on all MPs opposed to the deal – from Tory Brexiteers to arch-Remainers hoping for a second referendum – to study their consciences.
She writes: 'MPs of every party will face the same question when the division bell rings. It is a question of profound significance for our democracy and for our constituents. The only way to both honour the result of the referendum and protect jobs and security is by backing the deal that is on the table.'
Tory Brexiteers argue that, far from softening in their opposition to the Withdrawal Agreement, opposition has actually 'cemented' over the holidays, with party members using festive social events to convey their scathing view of the exit terms.
Rebel ringleader and former party leader Iain Duncan Smith today brands Downing Street's attempts to cajole MPs into backing May's deal as 'stupid'.
He writes in today's MoS: 'Even the most loyal of advisers must know that attitudes simply haven't changed.'
And he warns any minor additions or legal protocols offered by Brussels to buttress the PM's 'charm offensive' would be worthless.
He argues: 'The European Court of Justice has historically sidelined protocols and other such devices, meaning the backstop will bind us without the power to withdraw.'
He adds that further talks with Brussels would be fruitless as 'the problem has been that while our negotiators have behaved towards the EU as friends, they have treated us as adversaries.'
But Downing Street is still pinning its hopes on a 'white smoke' moment from Brussels – legally binding concessions over the backstop – by next weekend.
Mrs May is on standby to travel to Europe to welcome the proposals if they are deemed to be sufficiently persuasive.
If that fails, Tory whips are plotting a backbench amendment to the vote – pencilled in for January 15 or 16 – which would order yet more talks between Mrs May and the EU.
That would further delay the main vote on Mrs May's deal.
No 10's former legislative adviser Nikki da Costa, who resigned over the terms of the deal in November, said yesterday that party managers would hold back the 'trick' if they believe they are still heading for a triple-figure defeat.
She said: 'If the EU hasn't moved far enough, the Government may seek to spell out in an amendment what further assurances looks like. The hope would be if that was passed, the EU would feel reassured that it is worthwhile moving further, because the majority has been proven to exist for that package.
'I expect any amendment will be quietly tested with MPs for 24 to 36 hours before it's tabled, to see if it is going to get the support.'
Sir Vince Cable (pictured above) said the Prime Minister could be playing with fire if she refuses MPs the right to vote on her deal
In the exclusive article Theresa May also attacks Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured above)
But Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable said the PM would be 'playing with fire if she refuses MPs the right to vote on her deal'.
Yesterday, the stretched Tory Christmas truce collapsed completely when devout Remainer Ken Clarke dismissed the 2016 referendum as 'one opinion poll'.
Mr Duncan Smith hit back, describing him as a 'wrecker' who 'typifies what those who have never accepted the referendum believe'.
In her article, Mrs May also attacks Jeremy Corbyn for his 'cynical' Brexit policy, saying: 'He tells one group he would keep the UK in the single market, while promising another group an end to free movement. Throughout, he has provided the opposite of leadership, serving not our national interest but always his own political interest.'
Mrs May's words come as hundreds of lorries tomorrow take part in a 'No Deal rehearsal' for potential chaos at Dover, with truckers testing government plans to use the disused Manston Airport as a holding pen for HGVs.
But critics have suggested TV footage of lorries backed up in rush-hour is a fresh round of Project Fear spin.
People's vote would be a disaster movie says Brexit TV drama writer
By Harry Cole for the Mail on Sunday
James Graham says people assume he is a 'massively leftie, liberally, Remainy, 12-year-old-looking playwright', but the man behind tomorrow night's highly anticipated Brexit TV drama has delighted Leave supporters by criticising calls for a second referendum.
Channel 4's Brexit: The Uncivil War, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, has surprised critics with its even-handed portrayal of the 2016 poll.
And speaking ahead of its screening, Mr Graham, 37, says he is not looking for a re-run, describing the last bout as 'toxic' and 'traumatic'.
Benedict Cumberbatch (centre) as Dominic Cummings in a scene from the new TV movie: Brexit: The Uncivil War, written by James Graham
'I just don't think we would survive going through that exercise again,' he said.
'We can't do that again, no matter what we do.'
Mr Graham insists he is 'not blaming one side or the other', but believes 'Leave, Remain, the public and politicians did not conduct themselves in quite the best way'.
And he called for massive reform of the electoral process if questions of that magnitude are ever to be put directly to the public in the future.
Tomorrow night's 90-minute drama focuses on how Vote Leave's eccentric but brilliant campaign guru Dominic Cummings, played by Cumberbatch, blew up the Downing Street-led Remain campaign, pioneered by David Cameron's spin doctor Sir Craig Oliver. Sir Craig is played by Rory Kinnear.
In one scene of the movie the iconic Brexit bus is also featured
But in a further blow to those who have declared the referendum was hijacked by Vote Leave's use of sophisticated data to target adverts at certain groups of voters, Mr Graham scotched the conspiracy theories, saying: 'Remain were doing it as well.' He added: 'The use of data is not an exclusively Right-wing thing, or conservative thing, or Leave thing. [Barack] Obama was the guy who nailed this first.
'I don't want the film to suggest – because I don't believe this is true – that data used to target messages is manipulative. It's what people have always done. It is not about changing people's minds – it's about finding people already sympathetic to that view and getting them to vote.
'I hope we don't suggest it is anything close to manipulation.'
Mr Graham said he was not hopeful that his drama will unite the warring factions or please everyone, adding: 'People will come to it with their own baggage.'
A return to project fear? They can't be stupid
By Iain Duncan Smith, former conservative party leader
Downing Street have got it into their heads that they can get MPs to back their Brussels deal simply by ramping up warnings about a No Deal Brexit, but they must know that isn't the case.
Like some broken and distorted record, Project Fear runs on and on, with less and less effect.
Even the most loyal of advisers must know that attitudes simply haven't changed.
Iain Duncan Smith (pictured above) has said the government's plans to push the Brexit deal might not work
Yet with diminishing effect, there are yet more plans to use this tactic as MPs return to Westminster this week.
First, there have been briefings that there will be an amendment to the vote to allow Parliament to leave the backstop that keeps us tied to EU customs rules, defying any agreement struck.
Second, there is to be a 'clarification' on the backstop sought from the European Union by the Government in the form a new 'protocol'.
Third, we are told that the Government will simply go on putting the deal back to the Commons until – worn down by the process – Parliament accepts the deal.
The first doesn't work because as there will have been a clear agreement, our courts will strike such action down. Second, the European Court of Justice has historically sidelined protocols and other such devices, meaning the backstop will bind us without the power to withdraw.
And third, I really can't believe the Government could be that stupid.
As MPs come back after the Christmas break, we do so knowing that all has not gone according to plan for the Government, because Project Fear has gone wrong.
Crowded out by the drone chaos at Gatwick and illegal migrants arriving in growing numbers, it hasn't worked.
In fact, it has been replaced by the growing sense among the public and MPs that preparations to leave with No Deal are finally being put in place.
Leaving without the Prime Minister's deal is looking more likely – I now put it at a more than 50 per cent chance. People can see that the problem with this agreement is not just the backstop but that it negates all the good reasons to leave and has us hanging on to the worst aspects of the EU.
This deal simply doesn't work and, far from securing Brexit, it shackles us to the EU.
If the EU really wanted a good relationship after Brexit, they would have made major changes to the deal.
The fact that they have ignored the Prime Minister's entreaties says all you need to know about their desire to shackle us and stop us competing.
The problem has been that while our 'negotiators' have behaved towards the EU as friends, they have treated us as adversaries.
The only chance we have to deliver on the referendum and get a half-sensible deal is to get fully ready to leave on World Trade Organisation terms by March 29.
https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/category/the-sun-world/
https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/theresa-may-confirms-the-crunch-brexit-vote-will-go-ahead-in-a-week/
News Pictures Theresa May confirms the crunch Brexit vote will go ahead in a WEEK
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
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.
Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”
Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”
kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb
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.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/01/06/14/8180470-6562035-Theresa_May_pictured_on_the_BBC_s_Andrew_Marr_how_today_denied_r-m-15_1546785784550.jpg
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