The EU has agreed to Theresa May's Brexit deal
- Theresa May has agreed a Brexit deal with EU leaders.
- 27 other EU leaders signed up to the agreement after just 38 minutes of discussion.
- However, the deal is likely to be rejected by the UK parliament when it returns to the House of Commons in early December.
The European Union have signed up to a Brexit Withdrawal agreement with Theresa May at a special summit in Brussels.
European Council president Donald Tusk said on Sunday morning that an agreement had been reached.
"EU27 has endorsed the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration on the future EU-UK relations," he tweeted.
EU leaders signed up to the deal after just 38 minutes of discussion. The deal wil now return to be voted on by the UK parliament in early December.
However, with all opposition parties and up to 80 Conservative MPs pledged to oppose May's deal when it comes to the House of Commons, Remainer ministers in May's Cabinet are pushing for the prime minister to seek an alternative deal that would leave Britain with a closer relationship with the EU after Brexit.
Five ministers, led by the Chancellor Philip Hammond are reportedly pushing for May to adopt a permanent customs partnership with the EU that could potentially draw the support of Labour MPs as well as the Democratic Unionist Party that has propped up her minority government.
DUP leader Arlene Foster said on Saturday that she would be willing to support a Norway-style soft Brexit as long as it prevented any new border and custom controls between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
One senior Conservative told the Sunday Times that any attempt to force a hard no-deal Brexit would lead to a mass walkout from Cabinet: "If she said she'd go for mitigated no deal, she would lose most of her cabinet. And this time she wouldn't be losing Esther McVey and Dominic Raab, she'd be losing her most senior ministers. Hammond, Rudd, Lidington, Gauke and Clark would all resign."
Meanwhile, Cabinet Brexiteers, including the leader of the House Andrea Leadsom are also poised to quit if May moves any further towards accepting a closer relationship with the EU after Brexit.
However, as May arrived in Brussels, multiple EU leaders warned that they bloc would not be prepared to renegotiate the deal.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters that the EU would "not change its fundamental position" on Brexit, adding that this "is the best deal possible."
This position backed by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
This is the deal on the table," Rutte told reporters. "I don't think there is anything more … in general, this is the max we can all do, both Theresa May and her government as well as the EU."
In an open letter to the nation written ahead of today's summit, May promised to bring the country together with her deal.
"I want that to be a moment of renewal and reconciliation for our whole country," she writes.
"It must mark the point when we put aside the labels of 'leave' or 'remain' for good and we come together again as one people. To do that we need to get on with Brexit now by getting behind this deal. I will be campaigning with my heart and soul to win that vote."
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