Theresa May set for final cabinet crunch time over Brexit deal

Theresa May will present her draft deal agreed with the European Union over the terms of Britain’s exit to her ministers today in a special meeting of the cabinet.

The Prime Minister spent last night holding one-on-one meetings with ministers in an attempt to avoid resignations over the 500-page agreement, drawn up by UK and EU negotiators and finalised yesterday.

If cabinet approves it, it will then need to be agreed by a vote in the Commons and each EU member state.

It is thought May will tell her divided cabinet the agreement is as good as negotiators can get.

The Irish border and a temporary customs union with the EU has been a major stumbling block, and last night Brexiteers suggested the Prime Minister has agreed that Northern Ireland will stay more closely aligned to EU customs and single market rules than the rest of the UK under the plan.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that she would expect Scotland to be given a similar favourable status:

This would also meet with the disapproval of the DUP, who Theresa May relies on for her Commons majority, and most Scottish Conservative MPs, who have argued it could undermine the union.

In a statement issued last night, DUP leader Arlene Foster said: "I am heartened by friends of the Union on both sides of the House and across the United Kingdom who have pledged to stand with the DUP in opposing a deal which weakens the Union and hands control to Brussels rather than Parliament.

“These are momentous days and the decisions being taken will have long-lasting ramifications. The Prime Minister must win the support of the cabinet and the House of Commons. Every individual vote will count.”

The UK Government met ministers of Scotland and Wales last night, but Scotland’s Brexit Secretary Michael Russell said he did not see the draft agreement.

“We know no more coming out of tonight’s JMC (EN) than we did going in,” he said.

“We must be able to scrutinise the deal and understand its implications.

“I am clear, however, that reaching agreement at technical level does not negate the threat posed by Brexit to jobs and living standards. The best way to avoid that is to stay in the EU, in line with how people in Scotland voted.

“If that is not possible, the only acceptable deal is one that keeps us in the Single Market as well as the Customs Union. That would resolve the backstop and ensure truly frictionless trade with the EU, which Scottish Government analysis shows is in the best interests of Scotland and the UK as a whole.”

Labour has also signalled it will vote against the deal, with leader Jeremy Corbyn saying the "shambolic" negotiations meant the agreement was “unlikely to be a good deal for the country”.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “Labour is clear: any deal which does not meet our six tests to protect jobs, our economy and devolution should be voted down.”