Brexit news latest: DUP dismisses Michel Barnier proposal as Theresa May says EU withdrawal could be cancelled if deal rejected
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May pleaded with her EU counterparts to give ground in a key speech just days before MPs vote on her Brexit deal.
Speaking in Grimsby on Friday, the prime minister said “no one knows” what will happen if her plan is rejected, warning Brexiteers: “We may never leave at all”.
Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier reacted to Ms May’s speech in a series of tweets. He said the UK would have the unilateral right to leave the customs union, but also made clear Northern Ireland would have to stay inside it.
However, the apparent concession was dismissed by the DUP as neither “realistic nor sensible”. Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay suggested the EU plan was simply a return to an earlier version of the backstop which had already been rejected.
Ms May accused Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of supporting “a divisive second referendum that would take the UK right back to square one”.
Mr Corbyn fired back by warning the prime minister not to make a third attempt to ram through her deal if it’s defeated next week, saying it must be “the end of the road”.
Here's how the day unfolded:
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People voted for Brexit because life was too hard - and it was a message to the people in power that things needed to change, she says.
This speech was trailed as a pitch to the EU but actually, it seems like it is aimed at MPs.
Rather cruel - but very funny tweet here on the optics of this speech from the Sunday Times political editor.
Theresa May says Britain will remain a strong player on the world stage after Brexit. It will remain a global military power, a member of the WTO and other organisations.
Her deal will enshrine protections, particularly on workers rights, rather than starting a race to the bottom on standards, she says.
If they back her deal on Tuesday, MPs will give the economy a boost. She says it has remained strong, despite the uncertainty of Brexit. Imagine what could be possible if certainty is given to business - and the money that would have been spent on no-deal planning can be pumped back into the economy.
She says some MPs voted against the deal because they wanted to stop Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn said he'd vote against it without reading it, she claims.
But some had reasonable concerns about being trapped in the backstop. She said these are genuine concerns on the backstop and she's taken these to Brussels and put forward serious, detailed proposals. Talks are ongoing.
She reaffirms the government's commitment to the Good Friday agreement, saying Northern Ireland is an integral part of the UK and its people are our people.
Turning to the EU, May says 'now is the moment for us to act'. She calls for 'one more push' and urges Brussels not to hold back, to make sure that they have done everything they can to get the deal over the line.
MPs also need to think hard about rejecting the deal. More talking isn't going to solve anything, she says. The EU might start imposing conditions and result in a form of Brexit that looks different to what people voted.
It could also result in a second referendum, she says. Labour is backing this, which will take Britain back to square one. She says Jeremy Corbyn has refused to meet her, putting only one hour aside in the last five weeks.
May is ramping up the pressure, saying 'Let's get it done'.
She needs the support of those who voted Remain but accept the result - and those who voted Leave but accept some compromise is necessary.
She says she does not doubt their sincerity but she profoundly disagrees. She hopes they will be in the minority. The British people have moved on and they want the government to get on with it.
'Let's get it done' she says.
The PM is now taking questions from journalists.
We couldn't hear the first one to her but the PM says backing her deal enables the UK to leave the EU in a “smooth and orderly way”.
Asked how much responsibility she takes for the uncertainty, May says she negotiated a deal. MPs were the ones who rejected it. Now is the moment to get this done, she says.
She is asked if she will let ministers have a free vote on a no-deal veto. May says she is focused on Tuesday's vote on her deal.
Bloomberg reporter Rob Hutton tells the PM the 'ship has sailed on a smooth and orderly Brexit'. Do you owe businesses an apology and will you take no-deal off the table?
May says she's answered this question before. The best way to end uncertainty is to vote for the deal - then we have the smooth and orderly Brexit.
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