Brexit news: Prospect of UK staying in EU 'greater than at any point since referendum', Sturgeon says

Appearing on the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme, Theresa May indicated she would go ahead with the crunch Commons vote next Tuesday - despite reports this morning that members of the cabinet are urging the prime minister to delay the vote due to high probability of defeat in five days' time.

She said: "We are in the middle of five days of debate in Parliament which will lead up to a vote on this issue."

"There are concerns about part of that withdrawal bit of the deal, which is what has come to be called the backstop.

"I recognise that there are those concerns. Any deal, any agreement, any arrangement that we came to with the European Union would involve a backstop.

"So, people talk about, 'let's have a Norway, or let's have a Canada', everything involves a backstop. Secondly, none of the other arrangements that people have put forward fully deliver on the referendum. This deal delivers on the referendum."

During the interview she also signalled that MPs would decide whether the UK went into a backstop or extended the transition period.

"There will be a choice between, if we get to that point, a choice between going into the backstop and extending the transition period," she said. "Now, there are pros and cons of both sides of that. People have a concern of the backstop, that we could be in it indefinitely.

"But in the backstop we have no financial obligations, we have no free movement, we have very light level playing field rules with the EU. In the implementation period, we still have to negotiate the terms, but, there will be concerns about the fact that they would require, I'm sure they would require, some more money to be paid, for example. So there would be arguments on different sides."

Breaking: The standards commissioner in parliament has ruled that Boris Johnson will have to make a formal apology to the Commons over the late declaration of nine payments amounting to over £50,000. ​

"The Commissioner found that Mr Johnson acted in breach of the House’s rules on the registration of his financial interests. She found that registrations were late on four separate occasions, involving nine payments, which suggested a lack of attention to, or regard for, the House’s requirements.

"The Commissioner therefore concluded the breach was neither inadvertent or minor. She was consequently unable to rectify the complaint, and referred the matter to Committee on Standards.

"The Committee concluded that Mr Johnson breached the rules of the House by failing to register remuneration within the required timetable on nine occasions. In considering the appropriate sanction it took into account what it considered to be aggravating and mitigating factors, and recommended that Mr Johnson make an apology to the House on a Point of Order."

Steve Barclay - the new Brexit secretary - is making his debut in the Commons at Exiting the European Union questions. He told MPs there is "not an absolute guarantee" that the UK will continue to party to 40 trade deals signed by the EU with 70 countries.

He made the remarks after Hillary Benn - a Labour MP - asked Mr Barclay to give assurances to business that trade agreements would continue to apply post-Brexit. 

Andrea Leadsom - the Commons leader - is now speaking at business questions. She reiterates her opposition to producing government legal advice to Parliament - after Number 10 was forced to publish its advice on Wednesday.

She says she can confirm the meaningful vote will go ahead next week.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has insisted that the agreement with the PM was the only deal on offer - as MPs gear up to vote on the deal in five days' time.

In a speech at the European Committee of the Regions, he said: "I must say once again, today, calmly and clearly: It is the only and the best possible agreement."

He added that Brexit was a "lose-lose" situation and the deal was an exercise in "damage limitation".

Downing Street has dismissed suggestions that the "meaningful vote" could be delayed from its scheduled date of December 11.

"The vote will take place on Tuesday as planned," said a Number 10 spokeswoman.