BREXITEERS’ BACKLASH

BREXITEERS lined up to attack UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal with Brussels as it emerged more than half her backbenchers intend to vote against it.

Senior Tories including Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab criticised the ‘political declaration’ on post-Brexit relations.

But most of the anger focused on the so-called backstop which keeps the UK in a customs union with the EU to prevent the return of a hard border in Northern Ireland.

Last night a total of 88 Tory MPs had announced they would vote against the deal — more than half the party’s backbenchers.

In a fiery Commons debate, former foreign secretary Mr Johnson insisted Mrs May’s proposals to avoid a hard border made a “complete nonsense of Brexit”.

And Mr Raab, who resigned as Brexit secretary last week, said the Prime Minister’s agreement contradicted the will of the people by giving away even more power over laws.

But a string of Tory MPs stood up for Mrs May, with one saying her deal was one “few may love but most could live with”.

The Prime Minister also had to fend off repeated calls for a second referendum, mainly from the Labour benches but also from her own.

Meanwhile, it emerged that the UK could still be tied to EU rules and be made to pay into Brussels’ coffers until the end of 2022 — more than six years after the referendum.

Britain will have a ‘ transition period’ until the end of 2020. In the meantime it effectively remains in the EU but without representation.

But a new version of the withdrawal agreement said this may be extended for another “one or two years”.

Mrs May has repeatedly said the transition would end before the next election, due before mid-2022. However, a full two-year extension — subject to a vote by the UK Parliament — would take it much further than the election.

In a seemingly co-ordinated move, Eurosceptic Tories and DUP MPs attacked the plan for a backstop.