Brexit EU summit LIVE: EU leaders issue ultimatum to MPs — back May's deal or get nothing
The prime minister says this is the 'best deal possible' and she will make the case to parliament and to the public
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Your support makes all the difference.EU leaders have challenged MPs to either back Theresa May’s Brexit deal or face up to the economic consequences of crashing out of the bloc.
Heads of its 27 member states took little more than half an hour this morning to rubber-stamp the agreement setting the terms for Britain's departure.
However, the deal now faces a vote in the House of Commons, where the odds appear stacked against it as MPs of all stripes, including a significant portion of the prime minister’s own party, have made their opposition clear.
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Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, warned them the agreement was the “only deal possible” and hopes that a better one could be struck were in vain.
“Those who think by rejecting the deal that they would have a better deal will be disappointed in the first seconds after the rejection of this deal,” he said.
In a veiled plea to MPs Michel Barnier, Europe’s chief negotiator, called on “everyone to face up to their responsibilities”.
Mr Barnier said the deal with the UK was a "necessary step" to advance to the next phase of the negotiations.
"I have worked with my team and negotiated with the UK, never against the UK," he told reporters as he arrived for the summit.
"Now it is time for everybody to take their responsibility. This deal is a necessary step to build the trust between the UK and the EU we need to build.
"The next phase is an unprecedented and ambitious partnership. We will remain allies, partners and friends."
Ms May has written a letter to the British public pleading for the country’s support over the deal.
In her letter she promised a “brighter future” and said that Brexit would be "a moment of renewal and reconciliation for our whole country".
Theresa May says there should not be a Final Say referendum and says she is focused on making the case about her deal to the British people and to parliament.
May says she does not feel sad that the UK is leaving the European Union. She says it is time "to move on to the next stage" and she is "filled with optimism".
At a press conference in Brussels, Prime Minister Theresa May said: "Before Christmas, MPs will vote on this deal.
"It will be one of the most significant votes that Parliament has held for many years. On it will depend whether we move forward together into a brighter future or open the door to yet more division and uncertainty.
"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.
"I will take this deal back to the House of Commons, confident we have achieved the best deal available and full of optimism about the future of our country.
"In Parliament and beyond it, I will make the case for this deal with all my heart and I look forward to that campaign."
Ms May says her deal "delivers on Brexit but protects the United Kingdom".
She ends the press conference by saying "this is a deal that is good for the whole of the UK".
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has described the deal as a "miserable failure of negotiation".
This is a bad deal for the country.
It is the result of a miserable failure of negotiation that leaves us with the worst of all worlds. It gives us less say over our future, and puts jobs and living standards at risk.
That is why Labour will oppose this deal in Parliament. We will work with others to block a no-deal outcome, and ensure that Labour's alternative plan for a sensible deal to bring the country together is on the table.
That includes a permanent customs union with a UK say, a strong single-market deal and guarantees on workers' rights, consumer and environmental protections.
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