Theresa May today secured a major victory as EU leaders rubber-stamped her Brexit deal but the PM still faces an uphill battle to win a vote in the Commons before Christmas.
The announcement came in a tweet from European Council president Donald Tusk barely 40 minutes after the meeting started and set off a flood of reaction from politicians and commentators alike.
And, just like anything to do with Brexit, it seems no one is in agreement. Here’s a selection.
IT’S GREAT SO LET’S GET ON WITH IT
One of the biggest fans of the deal is, unsurprisingly, Theresa May.
At a press conference in Brussels, she said: “Before Christmas, MPs will vote on this deal.
“It will be one of the most significant votes that Parliament has held for many years. On it will depend whether we move forward together into a brighter future or open the door to yet more division and uncertainty.
“The British people don’t want to spend any more time arguing about Brexit.
Theresa May said MPs will have to decide whether to back the Brexit deal and “move forward together into a brighter future” or reject it and “open the door to yet more division and uncertainty”.
So that’s a second vote out of the window, something which writer and director Armando Iannucci couldn’t help commenting on. He wrote: “This week the man who negotiated the Brexit deal resigned because of the deal he negotiated, while the woman who wants to go beyond parliament and appeal to the people refuses to let the people vote on it since that’s a matter for parliament. Pair of clods. #PeoplesVote.”
THE QUEEN’S TAKE
OK, so obviously it’s not the actual Queen but we imagine this is probably almost exactly what she might just say.
THE SCORNED FRIENDS
Two other big fans of the deal are the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
Both men shared melancholy remarks. Barnier said it was a “fair and balanced agreement” and “the best deal possible given the circumstances”.
He added: “We will remain allies, partners and friends with the UK. Juncker said “it is a very sad day”.
“A country leaving the EU doesn’t give rise to the raising of Champagne glasses or applause. It is a sad day and everybody who spoke today during the European Council attempted to express their sadness.
“It was broadly shared, if not unanimously shared.”
Juncker added: “I am totally convinced that this is the only deal possible. Those who think by rejecting the deal that they would have a better deal will be disappointed in the first seconds after the rejection of this deal.
“I don’t think Britain will be a third country like other third countries are third countries.
“There is, between us, something which has the remainings of love.”
We feel a song coming on...
THE OPPOSITION
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, was characteristically oppositional. He said: “This is a bad deal for the country.
“It is the result of a miserable failure of negotiation that leaves us with the worst of all worlds. It gives us less say over our future, and puts jobs and living standards at risk.”
That’s that then.
LET’S DO IT ALL AGAIN
Former prime minister Tony Blair said another referendum was “the only way you are going to unite the country”.
He told BBC’s Andrew Marr Show people should choose between the sort of “proper Brexit” advocated by Boris Johnson or remaining in the EU.
Blair, a prominent pro-EU campaigner, said he expected Labour to eventually back another vote.
Asked if there was a majority in Parliament for his position he said: “Not yet but I think it will get there.”
He added: “I think it’s moving that way and I would be really surprised if the Labour Party doesn’t end up in the position of supporting another vote.
“Because there’s no other proposition that can get through Parliament.”
But Blair’s comments were vetoed by at least one cat. Take from that what you will.
MORE OPPOSITION
Labour MP Lisa Nandy (Wigan) told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday that the Political Declaration “offers no guide as to what the future holds for the UK”, adding: “There’s been no attempt to reach out to Labour MPs like me… It’s just too big a gamble for MPs like me to take with our constituents’ futures.”
Asked if it’s a deal she will support, she said: “Well I’d hoped that it would be, but in all honesty no it’s not and it’s inconceivable now that when this comes before Parliament in just a few days time that I’ll be voting for it. I won’t be voting to support the Withdrawal Agreement.”
This is particularly worrying for the Tories who had hoped Labour MPs possibly including Nandy would help them get the deal through the Commons.
YOU CAN’T DUPE THE DUP
DUP leader Arlene Foster said there were no circumstances under which her party would vote for the current deal.
Asked if she would support the Prime Minister if a parliamentary defeat triggered a confidence vote in the Government, Foster said: “We will have to see what happens at that time. I think this last couple of weeks should tell all of us that you shouldn’t jump ahead of ourselves.
“What we should do is wait to see what develops in that respect.”
The DUP leader insisted it was not a choice between May’s deal or no deal.
“I believe we should use the time now to look for a third way, a different way, a better way.”
She added: “We shouldn’t just accept an outcome for the sake of it – we should try to get a deal that is good for everybody.”
Which can also be summed up as:
IT’S ALL GOING TO COLLAPSE
Asked if no deal was inevitable if MPs voted down the deal, Jeremy Hunt told Andrew Marr: “It’s not inevitable, but the way the law is, is that legally we will leave the EU on 29th March and there would need to be another Act of Parliament or amendment to an Act of Parliament to change that.”
He said: “If there was gridlock in Parliament there would be a huge degree of uncertainty and what the British people want is they want us to get on and deliver Brexit.”
Asked if the Commons could prevent a no deal, he said: “Well there are circumstances, probably in order to do that if it was a Conservative Government, the House of Commons would have to bring down a Conservative Government.”
Asked if the Government could collapse, he replied: “It’s not possible to rule out anything.”
He said: “It’s all about the balance of risks because this isn’t a perfect deal for everyone but it does have a lot of what everyone wants and the question is whether we can use it to get everything we want and that would be difficult but it’s not impossible.”
SET IT ON FIRE
Meanwhile on the streets of Brussels....