Brexit deal showdown – live updates

The UK and Brussels are ready for high-stakes meetings to assess Theresa May’s make-or-break Brexit deal. But her government could face the ultimate test as junior coalition partners hint at fresh elections.

The British Cabinet is meeting on Wednesday to discuss Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit draft agreement, while in Brussels, ambassadors from the other 27 EU countries will gather to examine the proposal.

Key developments:

• May is scheduled to meet her Cabinet and seek approval from her ministers at 2:00 p.m. London time (15:00 CET).
• The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, struck a cautious note when he said the deal “wasn’t yet finalized.”
• Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, a junior coalition partner in May’s government, threatened to withdraw support over the deal.

All updates noted in Central European Time (CET).

14:16 French President Emmanuel Macron considers the draft deal as an “encouraging sign” but remains cautious as the text still needs to be examined in detail, said government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux.

13:18 Conservative MP Peter Bone said if the draft deal reported in media is any sign of the accord May has secured with EU negotiators, then she is “not delivering the Brexit people voted for.”

13:10 While fielding questions at the British parliament, May said she is aware of concerns that the EU would like to keep the UK in its customs union under her draft deal.

“There’s a need to have a backstop as an insurance policy,” May said. “Any backstop has to be temporary.”

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