Brexit ‘meaningful vote’ will go ahead, UK leader Theresa May says

Theresa May said the “meaningful vote” on her Brexit deal will go ahead on Tuesday, as a leading Tory said she would lose the confidence of parliament if it was cancelled.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said May was still committed to allowing parliament to vote on her Brexit deal, followed by votes on ruling out no deal and extending article 50, the mechanism used to exit the European Union.

Downing Street is due to publish papers showing any EU concessions it has managed to achieve later on Monday but these are likely to fall short of what is demanded by Eurosceptics, who want a legally binding guarantee that the Irish backstop will end.

Talks with Brussels are currently deadlocked, suggesting Attorney General Geoffrey Cox will struggle to change his legal advice that says the backstop could keep the UK in an indefinite customs union.

Ireland’s deputy prime minister said on Monday that May was set to hold last-minute talks with EU leaders in Strasbourg to try to save her deal, but 10 Downing St would not confirm the trip.

Amid signs May’s deal is heading for defeat, the prime minister has come under pressure from Eurosceptics to scrap the vote and pass a motion showing Brussels that parliament would approve a deal with a time limit on the backstop.

However, Conservative MP Nick Boles said calling off the vote would not satisfy parliament.

“I am sure that the prime minister will honour these three commitments. If she doesn’t she will forfeit the confidence of the House of Commons,” he said.

He also retweeted a statement that Tory MPs would consider May “toast” if she tried to pull the votes.

However, May could also face a Eurosceptic bid to oust her if her deal fails and parliament forces her to rule out no deal and seek an extension to article 50.

Asked whether she would resign, the prime minister’s spokesman said there was “nothing to suggest” that outcome.

Labour’s Yvette Cooper said she and Conservative MPs would try to force votes on an extension of article 50 on Thursday should the prime minister pull the votes, saying it would be a “straight-up lie” to parliament if Theresa May changed her plans.

If the prime minister continued to prevaricate and try to change the backstop, Cooper said, she and others would try to force a new process.

“If she comes forward with a process on Thursday, then that would be a way forward … but if she doesn’t that is when we will be looking at possible amendments or other approaches … to make sure you can get indicative votes,” Cooper said in a speech at the Centre for European Reform.

Cooper said it was “the time to pivot, not to dig in” and the risk of an extension was that May would “do more of the same, running round in circles on the backstop and running down the clock”.

“We have to use an extension and work out what kind of Brexit … people want to see,” Cooper said.

However, those trying to use parliament to avoid no deal and force an extension to article 50 are running up against the clock to pass legislation, as the UK will default to leaving without a deal in the absence of any alternative on 29 March.

Additional reporting by Associated Press