THERESA May last night pleaded with tortured Cabinet ministers to act in “the national interest” and back her compromise Brexit deal with the EU.

In a landmark moment, British and EU negotiators finally struck a draft divorce agreement yesterday after two years of painstaking talks and delays.

16 Theresa May has reached a draft version of the Brexit deal with Brussels and urged Cabinet ministers to back her plan Credit: Reuters

The PM immediately summoned her Cabinet to sign it off in a crucial showdown emergency meeting in No10 at 2pm yesterday.

Ahead of it, she called in individual senior ministers one by one last night to try to win them over – with several more to see her this morning too.

If she fails to win the Cabinet’s backing, the PM could even be forced to resign by the day’s end.

As details of the mammoth 500 page long text began to leak last night, hardline Brexiteers erupted with rage to insist it will leave the UK “a slave state”.

16 Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and other key ministers have agreed to go along with her plan at least for now Credit: AP:Associated Press

Raging former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said Mrs May’s “days were numbered” if she signed up to anything that loosens the union with Northern Ireland.

But Mrs May’s allies claimed that while the deal is not perfect, it was “the best anyone could get”, and she has pulled off some key wins.

They include throwing out a Brussels bid to enforce a customs border down the Irish Sea, and an independent panel to arbitrate over if the Irish border backstop should end when either side stops acting in good faith.

16 Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is one of the key players threatening to replace the PM Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Ahead of a tumultuous day with the highest stakes at risk in Westminster today EU bosses conceded they won’t make Brits get visas to visit Europe or ban our planes from flying even if there’s a no deal Brexit.

Food makers including Mr Kipling cakes firm Premier Foods announced they will start stockpiling ingredients amid fears of gridlock at ports under a No Deal scenario.

The Government was forced to publish secret legal advice on a Brexit deal after the DUP and Tory Brexiteers rebelled with Labour.

The Pound surged to a six-month high against the Euro as word of the draft deal spread from 4pm yesterday afternoon.

16 Michel Barnier is leading the negotiations on the EU side and insists the deal is not yet finalised as it still needs the Cabinet's approval Credit: EPA

In a bid to help Mrs May, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier was swift to insist the divorce deal was not yet finalised as it still needed the Cabinet’s approval.

But if Mrs May wins that – after an epic Cabinet showdown expected to last three hours this afternoon – a summit of all 28 EU leaders will be called on Sunday November 25 to approve it, as well as the still-to-be-agreed political declaration on a future trade deal.

The House of Commons will then be asked to approve the deal in the week beginning December 10, which is shaping up to be a very tight vote.

Prepping the ground, The Sun has learned that Mrs May told the Cabinet’s regular weekly meeting yesterday morning: “We will have to sit there as a Cabinet and consider what is in the national interest”.

16 Britain's Home Secretary Sajid Javid arrives to meet Theresa May to get the update on Brexit negotiations with Brussels Credit: Reuters

16 If the Cabinet agrees the deal, it will be published in full and the PM will then give a live televised press conference to start selling it to voters and MPs Credit: 2018 Steve Back

A senior No10 source added that the PM will tell today’s showdown that the negotiation “has been pushed as far as it can go” and that the UK “cannot get any better deal than this one”.

The source added: “The PM is firmly of the view that the deal will not be improved by dragging it out any longer”.

If the Cabinet agrees the deal, it will be published in full tomorrow night and the PM will then give a live televised press conference to start selling it to voters and MPs.

The PM saw key ministers last night who could threaten her Premiership if they refuse back the deal and resign in a bid to win them round.

16 Environment Secretary Michael Gove is one of the key ministers Theresa May met Credit: Reuters

They included Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom.

The Sun understands that none of the key players are expected to resign today, with all grudgingly agreeing to go along with her plan at least for now.

The PM will see another Brexiteer who is very skeptical, Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, in No10 this morning.

It can also be revealed that Ms Mordaunt stunned Cabinet colleagues yesterday by demanding that the PM suspend collective government responsibility when the deal comes to the Commons.

16 Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt is very skeptical and demanded that the PM suspends collective Government responsibility when it comes to the Commons Credit: AP:Associated Press

The Brexiteer aid boss wants all ministers to have a free vote so they can act with their consciences.

Cabinet ministers had very mixed feelings last night.

While Chancellor Philip Hammond was said by friends to be “very positive”, others were gloomy.

One Brexiteer Cabinet source told The Sun: “The sad reality of where we are now is a bad deal is better than no deal, because there is no time left to stop no deal becoming a disaster”.

One Cabinet Minister who had read the draft text told The Sun that “there is no alternative”, but insisted that the deal was “better than I expected".

16 Chris Grayling, Transport Secretary, was the first Brexiteer to be given the document Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Boris Johnson says he will vote against the proposed deal as UK and EU officials have agreed the draft text of a Brexit agreement

And Transport Secretary Mr Grayling calls for “a moment of reflection” and “calm” and for everyone to read the deal before judging it.

In a moment of potential danger for the PM, the 'Pizza Cabinet' of Brexit campaigners will meet for breakfast early this morning to share their thoughts.

All Cabinet ministers were invited into a secure reading room in the Cabinet Office last night to read all 400 plus pages of the Withdrawal Agreement, as well as the 15 pages of the outline Political Declaration about a future trade deal.

But none were trusted to take any documents away with them for fear of more leaks.

16 Britain's Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson (left) and Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns leave after a Cabinet meeting at Downing Street Credit: EPA

During the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet tomorrow morning, Mrs May roundly chastised her top table for repeatedly leaking what happens at during them – but that exchange too was leaked to The Sun.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was forced to rip up a trip to Africa with just hours to spare before he got on an overnight flight.

The most contentious final area of the deal is the backstop plan to keep the Irish border wide open if no trade deal can be agreed before the 21-month transition ends.

Talks have been deadlocked for weeks over it.

16 Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said May’s 'days were numbered' if she signed up to anything that loosens the union with Northern Ireland Credit: PA:Press Association

But a breakthrough to solve the impasse has seen British wins including a UK-wide customs backstop only.

The EU has agreed to strike its bid for a second backstop for Northern Ireland only to keep it alone within the customs union.

There will be more differences in regulations for the province – which will infuriate the DUP.

But No10 sources insist movement of goods from Northern Ireland to the UK will continue unchecked without any barriers, as today.

16 Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom was also required to meet the Prime Minister to review the document Credit: Reuters

There will be no way for Britain to unilaterally end the backstop.

But London will be able to trigger the clause – known in legalese as “best endeavours” – if it feels Brussels has stop negotiating a trade deal in good faith and is just trying to trap the UK inside a never-ending customs union.

An independent panel will arbitrate over the ‘good faith’ mechanism.

Details are still to be confirmed, but it is likely to be a panel of five - two from the EU, two from the UK and one from a separate country.

16 DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds hinted that his party could support a change of PM Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Leaks of the draft text pointed to Britain being asked to swallow being bound tightly to EU rules for years to come - with some oversight by EU judges as a consequence.

One Brussels insider told the FT that the different rules for Northern Ireland were still contained in the document but “disappeared from view”.

But in order to secure a UK wide customs backstop the Government will be forced to sign up strict EU rules on state aid for companies and so called “level playing field” rules.

A source said: “The Brits won half a foot in the internal market, with duty and quota-free access. We need conditions to balance that off.”

16 British entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria leaves after the meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May Credit: Reuters

Senior Conservative Brexiteers united with the DUP to slam the threads of the deal that leaked in Dublin.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said that the deal as reported would leave Northern Ireland “subject to the rules and laws set in Brussels with no democratic input or any say”.

He added that “this is the fundamental red line” and in a coded hint that they could back a change of PM, he warned his party had made a deal to prop up the Conservatives rather than her directly.

In a fiery press conference in the Commons lobby, he was was flanked by Jacob Rees Mogg who hit out: “She hasn’t so much struck a deal as surrendered to Brussels, the UK will be a slave state."

16 Britain's Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox arrives for the meeting with Theresa May Credit: Reuters

And Boris Johnson added: “We’re going to stay in the Customs Union, large parts of the single market, it’s vassal state stuff, for the first time in 1,000 years this place will not have a say over the laws that govern this country.”

And fellow ERG member Mark Francois heaped pressure on members of the Cabinet to send Mrs May back to the negotiating table, saying what they “do over the next 24 hours is the most important thing that they do in their lives".

The ex-Minister added: “They have an opportunity to stand up for their country and defend its destiny. We very much hope that they will take it.”

But Remain backing former minister Jonathan Djanogly accused Brexiteers of “throwing their toys out of the pram before we know the deal terms".

16 Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock leaves after the meeting with Prime Minister Credit: Reuters

He added: “Could it be that they always intended us to jump naked off the cliff whatever the terms!”

And in a rare public appearance the Government Chief whip called for calm, saying: “We will be delivering the best interests of Britain.”

Julian Smith added: “I think Cabinet ministers will look at that tomorrow and I’m confident we will get this through Parliament and deliver what the Prime Minister committed to delivering Brexit in best of interests of companies, businesses and families.”

Labour also said it was very likely to vote down the deal.

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Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “We will look at the details of what has been agreed when they are available. But from what we know of the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country”.

DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose 10 MPs’ votes are crucial to Mrs May , last night declared that any new trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the UK are “not acceptable”.

It would also be “democratically unacceptable” for Northern Ireland trade rules to be set by Brussels, she added.

Issuing an ominous warning to the PM, Ms Foster added: “These are momentous days and the decisions being taken will have long-lasting ramifications. The Prime Minister must win the support of the Cabinet and the House of Commons. Every individual vote will count.”

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