Theresa May last night won cabinet support for a historic Brexit deal after more than five hours of ferocious debate in Downing Street, clearing the way for a political battle to push the plan through parliament.
“I firmly believe with my heart and my head that this decision is in the best interest of our entire United Kingdom,” Mrs May said, adding that the deal agreed in Brussels was “the best that could be negotiated”.
In a sober statement on the steps of Number 10, the prime minister said the cabinet only gave its approval after “long, detailed and impassioned debate”, signalling that she expected a severe political backlash from Conservative Eurosceptic MPs.