Cabinet approves Theresa May's EU withdrawal agreement but 'up to 10 ministers' voice major concerns

After months of wrangling, draft agreement with Brussels gets through Cabinet

Theresa May says cabinet has agreed draft Brexit withdrawal agreement

Theresa May has announced on the steps of Downing Street that her cabinet has reached a collective decision to back the draft Brexit agreement.

Senior ministers were summoned to No 10 for one-on-one meetings with the prime minister as news finally emerged of a draft agreement with Brussels after months of wrangling.

Ahead of the cabinet showdown, Ms May faced Jeremy Corbyn for a dramatic session of prime minister's questions, where he accused the PM of offering the British people a choice between a "botched deal and no deal".

She also faced the wrath of one Eurosceptic Tory MP, Peter Bone, who said if media reports over Ms May's Brexit deal were "accurate" then she would lose the support of Tory colleagues.

As it happened...

Key Points

• Theresa May's cabinet approves EU withdrawal agreement
• Government forced into embarrassing climbdown over fixed-odds betting terminals
• May's deal plunged into crisis as Scottish Conservatives threaten to rebel
• EU says it will 'retain all controls' under PM's Brexit agreement
• DUP warn May's blueprint could lead to break up of the United Kingdom

[14 November 2018 21:02 · Benjamin Kentish]

  ↵EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has given the draft agreement the thumbs up - quite literally.

[14 November 2018 21:07 · Benjamin Kentish]

DUP leader Arlene Foster and her deputy, Nigel Dodds, have been meeting with Theresa May in her Commons office for 45 minutes now... The DUP is furious at the proposed deal and have vowed to vote against it. It's hard to see how the prime minister can win them round.

[14 November 2018 21:10 · Benjamin Kentish]

Irish premier Leo Varadkar is giving a statement in Dublin on the proposed Brexit agreement. He says negotiators have reached a "satisfactory outcome" on all the major issues. 

On the Northern Ireland border, he says he "firmly hopes" the future relationship will avoid a hard border but welcomes the "insurance policy" of the backstop if a deal cannot be agreed.

The Taoiseach also highlights the fact that the UK cannot unilaterally withdraw from the backstop - an outcome Ireland had insisted on in talks.

[14 November 2018 21:21 · Benjamin Kentish]

MPs campaigning for a fresh referendum on the proposed deal are highlighting Theresa May's admission that Brexit could be reversed. In her statement, the prime minister argued that the only alternatives to her deal were a no-deal outcome or "no Brexit at all".

[14 November 2018 21:32 · Benjamin Kentish]

It's been pointed out that the draft withdrawal agreement includes the possibility of a one-off extension to the transition period - with the maximum possible extension yet to be decided.

The draft agreement reads:

"the Joint Committee may, before 1 July 2020, adopt a single decision extending the transition period up to [31 December 20XX]. *

Whitehall officials say details of the "xx" are still subject to negotiation, but they hope to resolve the matter before the European Council summit expected later this month.

[14 November 2018 21:54 · Benjamin Kentish]

For all the anger from Eurosceptics, it's important to remember that many Tory MPs back Theresa May and the deal she has secured. One tweets...

[14 November 2018 22:01 · Benjamin Kentish]

Jeremy Corbyn has just gone into Theresa May's House of Commons office....

[14 November 2018 22:12 · Benjamin Kentish]

Labour sources say Jeremy Corbyn was meeting the prime minister to discuss the process for MPs voting on her Brexit deal. 

A source said: "Jeremy pressed the importance of full parliamentary sovereignty, including giving Parliament and committees sufficient time and information for serious scrutiny of the deal."

[14 November 2018 22:24 · Benjamin Kentish]

Theresa May admits Brexit can be stopped as Cabinet approves draft EU deal

[14 November 2018 22:30 · Benjamin Kentish]

That's all for today - a landmark day in the Brexit process. A Brexit deal has been agreed with the EU and approved by the Cabinet. Theresa May's next task - possibly her biggest yet - is to persuade Parliament to support it. She'll begin that tomorrow with a statement in the Commons. See you then.