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MPs will vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal 'before 21 January'

MPs will have their say on Theresa May’s Brexit deal before 21 January, Downing Street has said (Reuters)
MPs will have their say on Theresa May’s Brexit deal before 21 January, Downing Street has said (Reuters)

MPs will vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal ‘before 21 January’, a Downing Street spokesperson said.

The ‘meaningful vote’ on the deal was due to take place later today, but was delayed by the PM after she conceded the outcome would be a bruising defeat.

This buys Mrs May six weeks in which to try and secure concessions from the EU to make her deal more palatable to MPs.

The issue of the Irish backstop – the back-up plan to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland if a free trade agreement cannot be reached before the end of the transition period – remains the most significant hurdle to securing parliamentary support.

The backstop would see the entire UK kept within a customs union with the EU for an indefinite period of time, which Brexiteers argue could trap Britain into abiding by EU rules and making financial contributions forever.

The DUP, on whose support Mrs May relies to get legislation through the Commons, argue that backstop would separate Northern Ireland from the rest of Britain.

The Prime Minister has gone back to Europe for crisis talks to try and rescue her deal.

Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker will meet later today for crisis talks. (Reuters)
Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker will meet later today for crisis talks. (Reuters)

But any hopes of a renegotiation on the backstop have been dashed after European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker insisted there is no hope of making substantial changes to the agreement.

“There is no room whatsoever for renegotiating,” he said during a speech to the European parliament, a few hours ahead of his meeting with Mrs May.

“This will not happen – everyone needs to know the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened.”

Mr Juncker offered a glimmer a hope, saying that ‘further clarifications are possible’.

It is unlikely a non-binding clarification will be enough for the PM to get her deal past MPs, a huge number of whom publicly oppose the agreement.

MPs will told an emergency debate later today discussing the delay to the Brexit vote.

The discussion is likely to be highly hostile towards Mrs May, who is facing a wall of criticism from opposition parties and her own Conservative colleagues.