Brexit: Leo Varadkar warns Theresa May not to renege on promises over Irish backstop to win over Conservative rebels
European leaders say they can clarify aspects of Withrawl Deal with Theresa May, but cannot re-open negotiations
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May has played down expectations of a Brexit breakthrough from EU leaders after surviving a bruising no-confidence vote triggered by Tory rebels.
The prime minister travelled to Brussels to seek fresh concessions to get her Brexit blueprint "over the line" in parliament, in the wake of her decision to shelve a crunch Commons vote on the deal over fears of a catastrophic defeat.
Ms May also confirmed she would not lead her party into the 2022 election - but failed to say if she would stand down after exit day in March 2019.
See below for live updates
Theresa May has moved to dampen expectations of a breakthrough in talks as she arrived in Brussels seeking Brexit concessions from EU leaders.
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The European Council summit is starting shortly and several leaders have been speaking to journalists out there.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte comes out with warm words for Theresa May.
↵The Conservatives' decision to readmit two MPs accused of sexual misconduct to allow them to take part in yesterday's vote of no confidence has been condemned in the Commons
Two MPs accused of sexual harassment were brought back in for Theresa May's vote - a depressing low on a grisly day, writes Sean O'Grady.
Arriving in Brussels, Angela Merkel said Theresa May's win in yesterday's no confidence vote was "pleasing" but insisted the
Brexit deal cannot be renegotiated.
The German chancellor said: "I do not see that this withdrawal agreement can be changed.
"We can discuss whether there should be additional assurances, but here the 27 member states will act very much in common and make their interests very clear.
"This is always in the spirit that we will have very, very good relations with the UK after it has departed from the European Union."
A rather cyptic tweet from Lithuanian PM Dalia Grybauskaite ahead of the EU summit
Meanwhile in London, DUP MP Sammy Wilson denied his party was in talks with Labour over a potential no-confidence vote in the government.
Mr Wilson told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We don't need to be in talks with Labour.
"We have made it quite clear that if the prime minister continues to pursue the policy and gets the ability to implement that policy, then we will vote against the Government in a vote of no confidence.
"However she has got to get over the first hurdle, and that is to get this agreement accepted by parliament. I don't believe she is ever going to get over that hurdle."
Mr Wilson said he did not expect progress on the Brexit deal before Christmas, adding: "I don't think it's likely at all, because I suspect she's not even going to bring the deal back before Christmas, so she'll not be able to progress on this deal."
Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, whose country holds the rotating six-month presidency of the European Council, said: "I believe that Theresa May knows that there can be no reopening of the Withdrawal Agreement."
But he said that it might be possible to "provide a little better explanation or definition or go into detail" on the agreement.
"Hopefully that will allow Theresa May to bring a vote in January and obtain a majority," he said.
"If the British PM thinks one or another additional explanation can be helpful before she brings it to a vote, then we should do that."
The pound has rallied against the dollar after Theresa May won a crucial vote of confidence in her leadership, thwarting plans by Tory Brexiteers to remove her as prime minister.
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Arriving in Brussels, French President Emmanuel Macron said: "It is important to avoid any ambiguity. We cannot reopen a legal agreement, we can't renegotiate something which has been negotiated over several months.
"We can have a political discussion in this context."
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