EU Council president Donald Tusk claimed yesterday that EU leaders and negotiators have shown Theresa May more respect than her own MPs.

It came as EU leaders sought to blame Parliament for the present Brexit impasse - which led to Mrs May 'handbagging' an unusually-uncomfortable looking Jean-Claude Juncker after he described her positions as 'nebulous'.

Mr Tusk's reference to Wednesday's vote of no-confidence among Tory MPs came as he closed this week's EU summit in Brussels.

The European council president said: 'We have treated Prime Minister May with the greatest respect, all of us, and we really appreciate the efforts by the prime minister to ratify our common agreement.

'My impression is that in fact we have treated prime minister May with a much greater empathy and respect than some MPs, for sure.'

European Council president said: 'We have treated prime minister May with a much greater empathy and respect than some MPs, for sure'

The French President Emmanuel Macron piled on the pressure, saying the Brexit deal was now 'in the hands of the British parliament' and he called on MPs to take a clear position on whether to accept or reject it.

'This agreement, I believe, is truly good for both parties and it is the only one possible,' he said.

It came after Theresa May warned EU leaders she would allow MPs to kill off her Brexit deal next week unless they agreed to consider further concessions on the Irish border issue.

The Prime Minister said Britain could be forced to leave the EU without a deal if they did not give ground.

Mrs May issued her dramatic ultimatum at a private meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Emmanuel Macron, EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Council president Donald Tusk and Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte.

The Prime Minister said Britain could be forced to leave the EU without a deal if they did not give ground

She said that without the promise of help she would put her Brexit deal to a vote in the Commons next week.

With more than 100 Tory MPs and her DUP partners currently opposed to it, the deal faced certain defeat on a scale likely to kill it off forever.

Downing Street last night refused to confirm that Mrs May had threatened to crash her own deal.

But sources said she was preparing to bring back the vote to the Commons next week if they had continued their hardline stance.

Last night the gamble appeared to have paid off, with Mrs May telling reporters she was now convinced the EU was willing to budge on the Irish backstop, which critics claim could leave the UK trapped in a customs union against its will.

It came after a stormy Brussels summit at which EU leaders stonewalled on help to save the PM's Brexit deal – and she rounded on Mr Juncker for apparently describing her demands as 'nebulous and imprecise'.

Downing Street last night refused to confirm that Mrs May had threatened to crash her own deal

Mrs May had appeared to come away virtually empty-handed from the summit. But, speaking at a defiant press conference, she insisted she could get the refinements needed in time for a vote on her deal, which she has promised by January 21.

'I never said it was going to be easy,' she added.

Speaking after her private meeting yesterday with the EU chiefs, the PM said: 'My discussions with colleagues today have shown that further clarification and discussion following the Council's conclusions is in fact possible.

'There is work still to do and we will be holding talks in coming days about how to obtain the further assurances that the UK Parliament needs in order to be able to approve the deal.'

The Irish backstop is designed to prevent the emergence of a hard border on the island of Ireland if trade talks falter.

Mrs May had appeared to come away virtually empty-handed from the summit

But critics fear it could leave the UK trapped in a customs union against its will for years.

It is understood Mrs May asked for assurances on a future trade deal – which would negate the need for the backstop – to be added to the withdrawal agreement.

Mrs May was seeking assurances with 'legal force' that the backstop could only be 'temporary'.

EU leaders were supposed to sign up to a series of summit conclusions declaring that the backstop 'does not represent a desirable outcome for the EU'. A proposed phrasing also suggested that if the backstop were used it would only apply for a 'short period'.

But both of these phrases were stripped out of the final conclusions following a row over dinner between the other 27 leaders.