THERESA'S FRANTIC FORTNIGHT

May begins battle to sell her Brexit vision today – as Hunt admits Government could collapse if MPs reject the deal

THERESA May last night launched a frantic two-week campaign to sell her Brexit deal – and save the Government from collapse.

The PM said she had achieved what many thought was ‘impossible’ after EU leaders signed off the agreement in less than 40 minutes. But with more than 90 Tory MPs threatening to join forces with Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP and DUP and vote down the deal next month, Mrs May faces an even tougher battle to win the Commons vote expected on or around December 12 – which would mean it clashes with the Scottish Budget.

The 13 Scots Tories at Westminster will be vital for Mrs May if she is to get the Bill through the Commons but one, Aberdeen South MP Ross Thomson, has already said he will vote against.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt acknowledged that the Government could ‘collapse’ if the deal is heavily defeated.

In Brussels yesterday, Mrs May made a direct appeal to voters to support her vision in the hope public pressure will force mutinous MPs to fall into line.

She insisted her deal delivered

on the referendum pledge to take back control of the UK’s borders, money and laws while maintaining economic ties.

She said: ‘The British people don’t want to spend any more time arguing about Brexit. They want a good deal done that fulfils the vote and allows us to come together again as a country.’

She warned MPs they risked plunging Britain into ‘more division and uncertainty’ if they oppose her.

The battle begins today when the PM tries to secure Cabinet approval for the deal before facing the Commons.

Tomorrow, she will embark on a whistle-stop tour of the UK – including Scotland – to promote her plan.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Philip Hammond and Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will publish an economic analysis comparing the merits of the deal against a no-deal scenario.

Commons leader Andrea Leadsom and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt have been placed on ‘resignation watch’ by No 10 again after Mrs May failed to secure any new concessions on the controversial Irish ‘backstop’, which critics fear could keep the UK locked in the customs union.

Fellow Brexiteers including Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox also failed to join a push by ministers to sell the deal on social media last night, as did Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson.

EU leaders warned they would not reopen negotiations if MPs reject the deal. And French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to lock Britain into the customs union unless Mrs May allows access to the UK’s fishing grounds – causing major concerns for Scottish Tory MPs.

EC chief Jean-Claude Juncker said: ‘This is the best deal possible – this is the only deal possible.’

DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose party’s ten MPs provide the Govern- ment’s majority, said there were no circumstances in which her party would back the deal.

The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier suggested it was time for MPs to take ‘responsibility’ and vote for the deal.

Holyrood Brexit Secretary Mike Russell said: ‘The proposed Brexit agreement negotiated by the UK Government does not work for Scotland.

‘That is why the Scottish Government will now work with others to get a better deal for Scotland within the European single market and customs union and why we support another referendum on EU membership.’

But Scottish Tory interim leader Jackson Carlaw praised Mrs May’s ‘remarkable tenacity and resilience’, saying: ‘As with every negotiation, nobody has got everything they wanted. But this deal offers the prospect of delivering Brexit and allowing the country to move on.’

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said there was ‘no credible alternative deal’ on offer and urged MPs to vote in favour of it, and against ‘the threat of chaos or more division’.

He also warned that the SNP was using Brexit to frustrate in hopes of getting a second independence referendum.

Mr Mundell said: ‘A no-deal Brexit wouldn’t just be a disaster for Scotland but threatens the integrity of the UK.’

Asked if the Government could collapse, Mr Hunt told the BBC’s Andrew Marr: ‘It’s not possible to rule out anything.’

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