Theresa May will make the case for her new Brexit plan in Parliament later, amid signs that Conservative opposition to her leadership is hardening.
The Prime Minister will give a statement to MPs on her changes to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - including her promise to give MPs a vote on holding another referendum. But Labour MPs said too little had changed for them to come on board. And one ex-Tory minister questioned whether June's vote would even happen. MPs have rejected the withdrawal agreement negotiated with the EU three times, and attempts to find a formal compromise with Labour have failed. On Tuesday, the prime minister asked MPs to take "one last chance" to deliver a negotiated exit - or risk Brexit not happening at all. But May's new plan had "failed to turn sceptics into endorsers", said BBC political correspondent Chris Mason. Conservative MP Boris Johnson - who wants to succeed May as prime minister - said on Twitter: "We are being asked to vote for a customs union and a second referendum. The Bill is directly against our manifesto - and I will not vote for it. "We can and must do better - and deliver what the people voted for." Meanwhile, Dominic Raab, another leadership hopeful, said Mrs May's deal would "break our clear manifesto promises". May is bringing the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - legislation required to bring her agreement into UK law - to Parliament in early June. In an attempt to win over Labour MPs, she announced the following concessions:- A guarantee of a Commons vote on whether to hold another referendum on the government's Brexit deal
- A vote on different customs options, including a government proposal for a temporary customs union for goods - what Mrs May called a "customs compromise"
- A legal obligation for the UK to "seek to conclude alternative arrangements" to replace the Northern Ireland backstop by the end of 2020
- If the backstop does come into force, the bill would guarantee Northern Ireland remains aligned with the rest of the UK and remains in same customs territory
- Legislation to ensure workers rights are "every bit as good, if not better" after Brexit - and guarantees of no dilution in environmental standards
- A legal duty to seek changes to the political declaration on future relations with the EU