Theresa May tells MPs that history is watching ahead of crunch Brexit vote

Theresa May issued a desperate plea for support for her Brexit deal ahead of an historic vote by MPs on Tuesday evening

The embattled Prime Minister warned members across the Commons that the eyes of history were on them as she tried to salvage her deeply unpopular plan for how the UK should leave the EU.

May spent Monday warning that blocking her deal could see Brexit thwarted as Remainers in parliament set out plans to seize control of the negotiations if the PM is defeated tonight.

In a meeting with her MPs in Westminster, she appealed to colleagues to reflect on the consequences rejecting the deal would have on the Conservative Party – which has been divided over Europe for more than 30 years.

MPs are set to vote on the deal on Tuesday, but 24 hours ahead of the division it was believed around 100 Tories were planning to inflict defeat on May.

In yet another speech in the Commons, May urged her critics to look again at the withdrawal agreement – despite acknowledging that assurances from the EU over the temporary nature of the so-called backstop plan do not go far enough to satisfy many of its critics.

Reflecting on the negotiated settlement, May said: “No, it is not perfect, and yes, it is a compromise, but when the history books are written, people will look at the decision of this House tomorrow and ask: Did we deliver on the country’s vote to leave the European Union? Did we safeguard our economy, our security and our Union? Or did we let the British people down?”

Ahead of her Commons statement, a joint letter from European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk was released as part of an EU/Downing Street plan to win support for May’s deal.

The letter set out Brussels’ reluctance to invoke the backstop – which would see the UK following EU rules and regulations in order to prevent a hard border with Ireland – and reiterated that it would not be a permanent arrangement after Brexit.

Tusk and Juncker claimed the promise to ensure the backstop is temporary does have “legal value”, as they were part of the conclusions of December’s European Council.

However, there was no end date for the backstop or the option for the UK to leave the it unilaterally – measures called for by Brexiter Tories who fear being locked in to the proposal.

Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the DUP which props up May’s government in Westminster, was unconvinced by the letter.

Speaking in the Commons, he said: “So, five weeks since the Prime Minster pulled the vote saying there had to be legally binding assurance will she admit that nothing has fundamentally changed?

“That’s the reality, let’s not kid ourselves about that.”

The vote on the Brexit deal is set to take place at some point after 7pm on Tuesday.

If May loses the vote, the government will have to return to Parliament by the end of next Monday setting out what it’s plan B is.

Various groups of MPs are seeking to amend that motion in attempt to secure another referendum or allow Parliament to dictate the future negotiating strategy.