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Brexit rebels have dropped plans to block the EU’s Brexit ‘backstop’ in Northern Ireland’.

The backstop would only be introduced if Britain and the EU could not come up with another plan for the Irish border before Britain withdraws fully from EU rules in 2021.

It’s intended to prevent a situation which creates a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which could re-ignite tensions in the region.

But hard Brexiteers hate the plan, and because it would keep parts of the UK operating under EU rules after Brexit .

(Image: X06612)

Prominent Tory hard-Brexit backbencher Steve Baker had tabled an amendment to the Northern Ireland bill, due to be voted on tomorrow.

And he had reportedly secured the backing of hardline Northern Irish party the DUP .

But Baker quickly, yanked the amendment this afternoon, reportedly because he would need Labour ’s help in getting it passed.

Meanwhile, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has said it would be "unlikely in the extreme" that Brussels would offer the UK a more favourable deal if MPs sought to change the terms of the withdrawal agreement.

Mr Raab, answering an urgent question from Conservative former attorney general Dominic Grieve, said attempts to change an agreement that had been struck between the EU and UK would come up against "very real and practical and diplomatic obstacles".

And he told MPs that it was a matter for the Commons Speaker whether the motion on a deal would be amendable, but said: "The Government has made clear our expectations, subject to your prerogatives, that this motion would be amendable."