Theresa May's hopes of winning over key critics of her Brexit deal have been dealt a hammer blow days before MPs return to debate it.

Her government partners the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) declared there was no way they could support the deal in a vote in parliament later this month.

Sammy Wilson, DUP Brexit spokesperson, confirmed they are still on course to block the deal in the Commons.

He added Britons should be "totally relaxed" that it could mean the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Mrs May has said the country can "turn a corner" if MPs back her deal.


She will hold a phone call with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday afternoon.

:: Three months until Brexit - what we know will happen

Speaking a day after crunch talks with her in Downing Street, Mr Wilson was asked on the BBC's Today programme if there was "any way" he could support the agreement.

"No, there's not," he said, blaming Northern Ireland being treated as a "third country" by the rest of the UK under the insurance-policy known as the "backstop".

Asked again if he was "reassured by anything" from the UK or EU that it would only be temporary, Mr Wilson confirmed: "No."

He said Britons should be "totally relaxed" about a no deal Brexit, and added Britons should be "more worried" about Mrs May's deal.

Image: Sammy Wilson said people should be 'totally relaxed' about a no deal Brexit

It comes as The Guardian reports 1,000 police officers will begin training for deployment to Northern Ireland as part of the government's no deal contingency planning.

A new poll of Conservative members also revealed more than half would prefer to leave with no deal rather than Mrs May's deal.

MPs are due to kick off a debate on the agreement on 9 January, with the vote the following week on a date not yet revealed by Downing Street.

Mrs May has called on MPs to support it so that 2019 can be "the year we put our differences aside and move forward together, into a strong new relationship with our European neighbours".

She scrapped a vote on the deal on 11 December in the face of "significant" defeat, promising to get legal assurances from Brussels that the backstop cannot be permanent.

But the prime minister did not receive them when she ventured to the Belgian capital for talks with EU leaders at the end of December.