May softens up to Corbyn talks as she pleads with MPs on Irish backstop

Theresa May has moved to break the Brexit deadlock by inviting Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for fresh talks on the UK's membership of a customs union with the European Union.

In a letter to the Labour leader, published late last night, May said she was prepared to hold further talks on a permanent customs union should it make her deal more palatable to MPs. The letter also mentioned concessions on the points of employment and environmental laws.

The move could prompt backlash from some members of her Cabinet, as the Prime Minister attempts to appease Leave advocates while retaining the possibility of the withdrawal agreement making it through parliament.

May is also bargaining with MPs to give her more time to strike a Brexit deal with the EU, promising parliament a say by the end of February on various options for leaving the bloc.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister will ask MPs to give her more time to win legally-binding changes to the Irish backstop, the insurance policy within May’s withdrawal agreement designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland. Many MPs cited opposition to it as the main reason for rejecting her deal, which they voted against in historic numbers last month.

May has said parliament will be granted a vote on various Brexit options by 27 February if she is unable to agree a deal with the EU.

Parliament is also bracing itself for a Valentine’s Day showdown this Thursday. Labour is poised to table an amendment that will force May to hold a binding, meaningful vote by 26 February, amid suspicion that she is trying to waste time in order to give MPs little option but to vote for her deal or risk a no-deal exit on 29 March.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer accused May of “pretending to make progress” over issues such as the Irish border so she could “run down the clock” to force MPs to choose between her deal and no deal.