We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again.

German business leaders have expressed their concerns over the vote in the Commons which is set for December 11. Angela Merkel's ally Andreas Krautscheid, chief executive of German banking association BdB, called on MPs to accept the Brexit deal. Mr Krautscheid said: "The whole of Europe is now looking with great anxiety at the British House of Commons.

“If the agreement there does not get a majority, this would be a major setback for our continent and for the UK.

"We strongly urge the British parliamentarians not to oppose this agreement. There will not be anything better."

And Thilo Brodtmann, general manager of German engineering association VDMA, warned companies to continue preparing for a no-deal Brexit ahead of next month's vote.

Speaking in the Commons today, Mrs May said: "I'm looking ahead to December 11, when this House will be faced with a decision as to whether or not it wishes to deliver on the vote of the British people with a deal that not only delivers on that vote but also protects their jobs."