British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a Brexit statement outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, on Nov. 14, 2018. Theresa May announced Wednesday night that the cabinet has given its backing to her Brexit deal. (Xinhua/Stephen Chung)
British Prime Minister Theresa May will face her toughest test yet in the House of Commons Thursday on the long road to Brexit.
Less than 24 hours after she won backing from her top ministers at a Downing Street Cabinet meeting, May is to make a full statement to Members of Parliament (MPs).
She is expected to face a grilling from both sides of the Brexit divide, those who back leaving the European Union and politicians wanting Britain to remain tied to the EU.
The main opposition Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn said Wednesday night his party would announce during May's statement in parliament whether they will vote against the agreement.
MPs representing Northern Ireland will also demand more information on how the deal affects their area.
It was the fate of the 500 km land border separating Northern Ireland from Ireland, one of the 27 remaining EU states, that has provided the biggest headache for negotiators in Brussels and London.
To add to what could be a difficult day for May, she will also learn whether there will be a challenge to her leadership.
If 48 Conservative MPs request a vote of no-confidence in May as leader, it will be up to the party's MPs to decide the outcome.
If the no confidence vote is won it will almost certainly trigger a leadership election that could end May's tenure at 10 Downing Street. If she survives a challenge she is guaranteed a free run without a further challenge for at least a year.
May on Wednesday chaired a meeting of her Cabinet, expected to last three hours, but instead going on for just over five hours.
According to political commentators the lengthy meeting was a measure of the different opinions within her ranks of ministers about the agreement May has produced detailing Britain's future relationship with the EU.
The dawning of a new day could also reveal whether any of her ministers are following in the footsteps of former foreign secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit secretary David Davis. They both quit days after May first published her Brexit proposals in July.
The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday that two senior ministers were considering resigning.
Wednesday turned out to be a day of high drama, as May emerged on the steps of Number 10 to issue a statement. Chanting and shouts from the public could be heard coming from the end of highly barricaded Downing Street.
Saying it was her deal, no deal or no Brexit, May delivered her long awaited decision in what was described as a make-or-break day for the UK-EU negotiations.
May declared: "I firmly believe that the draft withdrawal agreement was the best that could be negotiated and I needed Cabinet to decide whether to move on in the talks. The choices before us were difficult, particularly in relation to the Northern Ireland decision. But the decision in cabinet was that the Government should agree with the withdrawal agreement and the outline political declaration."
She concluded her message: "I firmly believe, with my head and my heart, that this is a decision that is in the best interests of our entire United Kingdom."
The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday night that 11 of the 29 ministers at May's Cabinet meeting spoke out against the deal. This could explain, the report said, why May announced that was a collective decision rather than one that had been unanimous.
Leading Brexiteer, Jacob Rees-Mogg, who leads a group of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs, called on MPs to oppose May's plan, adding he could not support her proposals.
Another leading Conservative MP and Brexit supporter, Steve Baker, predicted the deal put forward by May "will be in bits in a couple of days".
Gerard Batten, leader of UKIP, the party founded to campaign for Britain to leave the EU, described May's deal as a surrender.
He said: "We can expect a complete betrayal of the referendum result. The real struggle to leave the EU now begins in earnest. UKIP will never give up the fight for a complete and total exit from the EU.
"If this surrender deal is implemented, UKIP will be the political resistance movement, fighting on the electoral beaches, fields, lanes, and landing grounds."
The Guardian newspaper reported that the main opposition Labor Party is confident it can convince the majority of potential rebels to vote against May's Brexit deal.
There was a more positive reaction to May's proposals from Britain's business community.
Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the Confederation of British Industry said May's compromise deal has led Britain one step away from the nightmare precipice of no deal".
Meanwhile, Catherine McGuinness, policy chairman at the City of London Corporation, said: "The proposed framework for the future relationship provides welcome clarity and offers a foundation for financial services
"In particular, the commitment to regulatory and supervisory cooperation is a positive move that recognizes the need for any deal to reflect the City's unique role in providing services to households and businesses across."
In Brussels, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier gave a buoyant and upbeat response to Britain's withdrawal proposals, acknowledging that there was still difficult work to do by both sides.
