Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘Majority of MPS would support customs union’
SENIOR Labour figures believe there is a Commons majority for a customs union.
Sources close to Jeremy Corbyn said they might be able to strike a deal with the PM if she agrees to a general election.
With the Government facing a huge defeat on its Brexit deal, they think Mrs May will be forced to strike a compromise.
Tory Brexiteers have opposed staying in a permanent customs union but there are thought to be enough Tory rebels to back such a move. In July, the Government defeated a customs union amendment by just six votes and there were 12 Tory rebels.
One shadow minister said: “I think what people are looking for is Labour to say look, this is our proposal, let’s start talking. There could be a majority on a customs union.
“Part of the discussion will always be, do we link that then to a popular vote of some sort, a general election or public vote.” AFTER weeks of desperately trying to convince opponents to back her Brexit deal, Theresa May stands on the brink of humiliation as her efforts look to have spectacularly failed.
The PM faces the most catastrophic parliamentary defeat in 40 years, with more than 100 Tory MPS expected to finally reject her plan in a vote tonight.
And it puts Mrs May under massive pressure as she has spent two and a half years scrabbling to pull together a Brexit deal Brussels would accept, only for it to face a snub in its own back yard.
Her RAF plane is on standby to whisk her to the EU to beg for more concessions should she lose the vote.
But as Brussels has already told her there could be no more negotiating, it leaves her facing MPS with no Plan B.
With her premiership under threat, Mrs May yesterday had a Brexit showdown with party rebels, but sources insisted she had failed to change any minds.
She was warned by the DUP, which is propping up her government, her bid to get more reassurances from Brussels on the border backstop issue were of no value. Deputy leader Nigel Dodds said: “There is nothing new. Instead of meaningless letters, the Prime Minister should ask for and deliver changes to the withdrawal agreement.” Jacob Rees-mogg added: “Only change to the withdrawal agreement matters.”
With all eyes on when Labour will choose to table a no-confidence vote in the Government after a defeat, leader Jeremy Corbyn dismissed the letter from eurocrats Donald Tusk and Jean-claude Juncker as “warm words and aspirations” which fell short of legal assurances.
He said: “I’m sure members across the