Theresa May is planning a televised Brexit debate with Jeremy Corbyn in last ditch bid to save her deal
- Theresa May is considering plans to hold a televised debate with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in an attempt to win over voters to her Brexit deal.
- The prime minister is embarking on a two week PR push to sell her deal to voters and to parliament.
- The House of Commons is due to vote on her deal on December 11.
- May is currently facing a major Commons defeat with up to 90 of her own MPs committed to voting the deal down.
LONDON - Theresa May is planning a televised Brexit debate with Jeremy Corbyn in a last ditch bid to save her embattled Brexit deal.
The prime minister is preparing to put her deal, agreed with EU leaders on Sunday, to the Houses of Parliament on December 11.
However, up to 90 Conservative MPs are pledged to oppose the deal, with all opposition parties, including the Democratic Unionist Party which props up her minority government, also committed to vote it down.
With just two weeks to save her deal and prevent the potential collapse of her government, May is considering calling for a televised debate with the Labour leader in a bid to sell her deal to the British public ahead of a vote in parliament.
Downing Street has yet to publicly confirm the plans. However, speaking to Sky News on Monday, the Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay said a decision would be "made in due course" about a debate.
"I haven't seen plans for that but I know this is an issue Sky News have campaigned on and I'm sure your voice will be heard on that in the coming days... a decision will be made in due course," he told the channel.
A spokesman for Corbyn said he would "relish a head-to-head debate with Theresa May about her botched Brexit deal and the future of our country."
Brexit tour
She will tell MPs not to reject the deal and "go back to square one" in the negotiations.
"There is a choice which MPs will have to make," she will say.
"We can back this deal, deliver on the vote of the referendum and move on to building a brighter future of opportunity and prosperity for all our people. Or this House can choose to reject this deal and go back to square one."It would open the door to more division and more uncertainty, with all the risks that will entail."The prime minister will then embark on a week-long tour of the four nations of the United Kingdom in which she will make a series of speeches seeking to convince voters to support the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.