May urged by DUP to 'bin' Brexit deal and stop presenting 'false choices' to public ahead of key EU summit

PM under pressure over her Brexit deal as Spain threatens to derail special EU summit

Theresa May has been urged to “bin” her Brexit deal and stop wasting time presenting “false choices” ahead of a crunch EU summit.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds delivered a brutal assessment of her plans in a speech to party faithful in Belfast, where he said the DUP would defy the prime minister if she did not change course.

It comes despite a charm offensive from Philip Hammond, who flew to Northern Ireland on Friday to woo senior party figures and business leaders over Ms May’s draft agreement.

The prime minister is facing opposition both at home and abroad over her Brexit blueprint, with Spain threatening to derail a special EU summit on Sunday over its concerns on Gibraltar.

Mr Dodds, one of the 10 DUP MPs who prop up the government, said her plans would see the UK assume a "pitiful and pathetic place" and insisted the union was "non-negotiable".

He said: "Prime Minister, the message from this conference, from every section of this party is - bin the backstop.

"Rather than waste any more time putting forward false choices, we need the government to get on with securing a better deal."

Mr Dodds, who spoke ahead of speeches from party leader Arlene Foster and ex foreign secretary Boris Johnson, attacked the backstop plan which keeps Northern Ireland under different regulatory rules to Great Britain until a trade deal materialises.

"The DUP wants a deal with the European Union, we understand that businesses, families and communities want certainty," he told delegates.

"But it is not this deal. It is not a deal at any price. The prime minister used to say that. We still say that."

Amid fierce domestic pressure, Ms May is due to travel to Brussels for last-minute talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk before EU leaders endorse her agreement on Sunday.

However the timing of the summit has been called into question after Spain threatened to derail the talks over concerns about Gibraltar.

Mr Tusk's spokesman said on Twitter: "After the phone call between President Tusk and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a few minutes ago, we are closer to tomorrow's European Council summit."

Earlier, Mr Hammond, the chancellor, defended Ms May's plan and appealed to MPs to support the deal, which he said was better than remaining in the European Union.

He warned that a no-deal Brexit would unleash "economic chaos", adding: "If the meaningful vote is lost we are in uncharted territory.

"We will be faced with potential economic chaos, I am sure we would get a very negative reaction from the business community, from investors, from the markets.”