Brexit deal: Theresa May defends EU agreement in press conference after flurry of cabinet resignations
MPs react to May's statement and ministerial resignations
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Theresa May has been forced to defend her Brexit plan to MPs just moments after cabinet ministers Dominic Raab and Esther McVey dealt her authority a major blow by resigning from the government.
The prime minister secured the uneasy support of her cabinet for the draft deal with Brussels after a stormy five-hour meeting on Wednesday night.
Ms May also faces the growing prospect of a vote of no confidence in her leadership of the Conservative Party, as MPs, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, began publishing their letters sent to the party's 1922 committee - calling for the PM to step down.
See below for updates as they happened
Vice-chairman of the Conservative party, Rehman Chishti, has also handed in his resignation - interestingly, not only over the Brexit agreement. You can see his letter in full below.
Tory MP Henry Smith announced that he has submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister to the chairman of the 1922 committee.
And another one... North East Derbyshire MP Lee Rowley tells ITV he has also submitted a letter expressing no confidence in Theresa May.
Justice minister Rory Stewart, who this morning was being tipped as the next Brexit secretary, has had to apologise after appearing to make up a statistic live on air.
He claimed 80 per cent of voters support Theresa May's Brexit deal - a figure he later admitted was untrue.
↵Aaaand another - Sheryll Murray has sent in a letter of no confidence in Theresa May.
New: Theresa May will hold a press conference at 5pm in Downing Street.
European Council president Donald Tusk has appeared to express the hope that Brexit could still be averted.
"The EU is prepared for a final deal with the United Kingdom in November," he told a news conference in Brussels.
"We are also prepared for a no-deal scenario but of course we are best prepared for a no-Brexit scenario."
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