Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Number of Tory eurosceptics prepared to vote down Theresa May’s Brexit deal has risen by a third, claim MPs… The number of Tory Eurosceptics prepared to vote down Theresa May’s Brexit deal has risen by a third since the Prime Minister’s last attempt to secure Parliament’s backing, it has been claimed. Brexiteer MPs who opposed last month’s motion on Mrs May’s plan have been holding private talks about their next move, together with colleagues who plan to switch from supporting the deal to voting against it. “The 28 has now reached 37 or 39,” one Tory claimed. Michael Fabricant, the Conservative MP for Linchfield, said he was one of those who was likely to revert to opposing the deal unless Mrs May could persuade the DUP, her partners in the Commons, to back it despite their fierce objections to the controversial backstop, the insurance plan for the Irish border. The disclosure comes as Steve Baker, the deputy chairman of the Eurosceptic European Research Group of backbenchers warns that if Mrs May’s deal is voted through, the Conservative administration would “collapse” in the absence of support from the Democratic Unionist Party – which strongly opposes the plan. The Government are currently in talks with Labour which Mrs May hopes could gain support from the opposition for her withdrawal agreement in exchange for allowing them to influence her plans for the country’s future relationship with the EU. Some ministers are urging her to bring forward the Government’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the hope it could gain support from previous Tory rebels who could support a deal in order to avoid the UK having to hold elections to the European Parliament on May 23. But in an apparent warning to potential leadership contenders such as Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab, who backed down to support Mrs May’s motion last month, Mr Baker said: “Any [potential] leader who continues to vote for this deal, who accepts it being put through on Lab votes to deliver Brexit in name only, will need to explain how they are going to achieve a confidence and supply arrangement to prop up their Government. “You will find yourself leading a Government which collapses if you ram this deal through over the heads of the DUP. I just cannot see how it would be otherwise.” – Sunday Telegraph (£) …as No. 10 begs leadership rivals to lay down arms until the PM has secured Commons approval for her Brexit deal Downing Street is urging Tory leadership rivals to stop jostling to succeed Theresa May until the Prime Minister has secured Commons approval for her Brexit deal. Chief Whip Julian Smith is begging the main contenders to ‘lay down their arms’ in the national interest and concentrate instead on persuading diehard Brexit ‘Spartans’ to back Mrs May’s deal – and avert the humiliation of being forced to contest the European elections next month. Mr Smith, who has arranged a series of one-to-one meetings with the contenders over the coming days, is prioritising Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab, who he believes stand the best chance of persuading the ‘Spartans’ to drop their opposition. Others include Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who supported Remain in 2016 but now back Brexit. It is understood Mr Smith has already met Mr Johnson, who has abandoned his long-standing opposition to the deal, to plead with him to do ‘everything in his power’ to convert the opponents. The former Foreign Secretary was canvassing for the Tories in the West Midlands yesterday – and managed to find time to pose for photos with supporters. A senior Government source said: ‘Julian does not think that now is an appropriate time for the rivals to be eyeing the prize. – Mail on Sunday Government planning to make EU students pay higher tuition fees to study at English universities Future EU students at universities in England will no longer have the right to pay the same tuition fees as home students, in highly controversial plans being drawn up by the government. BuzzFeed News has learned that education secretary Damian Hinds is proposing to withdraw home fee status and financial support from EU students starting courses in the 2021/22 academic year, whether Britain leaves the union with a deal or without. The plan would see new EU students charged the significantly higher fees currently paid by international students from non-EU countries. The proposals, which are not finalised, will ignite a cabinet debate about whether Theresa May is effectively seeking to crack down on the number of foreign students at English universities, and the message it sends about her government’s vision of post-Brexit Britain. Cabinet ministers and even some education ministers are likely to oppose the plans. – BuzzFeed News EU students to pay more to study in England under Brexit plan – FT(£) Government looking to charge EU students more to attend English universities after Brexit – iNews Scores of Labour MPs demand party officially backs second referendum… Seventy-four Labour MPs and 14 of its MEPs have demanded the party officially backs a public vote on any Brexit deal. The politicians have added their names to a letter urging Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to throw its weight behind such a vote as part of the party’s European election manifesto. It comes after Labour grassroots hit out over a leaked draft of a campaign leaflet on Thursday which made no mention of another referendum. Instead, the mailshot pledges a Labour government would seek “a better deal with Europe” without mentioning the possibility that Brexit may still not happen. Now, the Love Socialism, Hate Brexit group of MPs has decided to act, stressing that polls are clear that the European elections in late May are a two-horse race between Labour and Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. The letter, co-signed by MPs including Hilary Benn, Angela Eagle and Owen Smith, outlines plans to defeat the former UKIP leader with “a message of hope and solidarity”, ahead of a key NEC meeting on Tuesday. – Sky News Shadow ministers and MEPs demand Labour back a new Brexit referendum – iNews …as Labour HQ reportedly goes about redrafting European Parliament election leaflets… Labour is redrafting European election leaflets after accusations of ignoring a pledge to hold a further Brexit referendum, the BBC has been told. They will now refer to the party’s preparations for a general election, with a referendum if necessary to avoid what it calls a “bad Tory deal”. Jeremy Corbyn says Labour’s ruling body will make a decision on Tuesday about backing a public vote on any deal. About 100 Labour MPs and MEPs want such a promise in the party manifesto. They wrote to members of the national executive committee before it meets on Tuesday to decide on the manifesto. Shadow Treasury ministers Clive Lewis and Anneliese Dodds and shadow minister for the disabled Marsha de Cordova are among the frontbenchers backing the call for a confirmatory vote in any eventuality – not just to avoid a “bad deal”. Some Labour MPs are opposed to holding another EU referendum, however, with nine shadow cabinet members thought to be sceptical about such a move. It had previously been reported that Labour’s leaflets for the 23 May European Parliament elections do not mention pushing for another referendum. Senior Labour backbencher Hilary Benn had questioned why no mention was made of a “confirmatory referendum” – despite the party twice supporting one in Commons votes. The party’s deputy leader Tom Watson has also argued for Labour to promise another referendum, if it is to counter the electoral challenge posed by Nigel Farage and his Brexit Party. – BBC News …although they deny the charge Labour has denied being forced to hastily rewrite a leaflet for next month’s European parliamentary elections, after a backlash from pro-remain MPs and MEPs. The text of a campaign leaflet for the south-west of England sparked fury among supporters of a second referendum, who insist Labour’s backing for the idea in recent House of Commons votes means it is now official party policy. The shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, was among those angered by the wording of the draft. It promised: “Labour will bring our country together,” and urged voters to use the European elections as an opportunity to “tell the Tories you are fed up with their divisive and incompetent government”, but did not mention a referendum. Hilary Benn tweeted: “Labour has twice supported a confirmatory referendum in votes in the House of Commons. It’s our policy. Why isn’t it mentioned in this leaflet?” But a Labour spokesperson insisted: “There are a number of different texts for different leaflets in circulation, including for a freepost and for other campaign purposes. They all reflect existing party policy. Our manifesto for the European elections will be decided next Tuesday.” – Observer Tory chiefs warn MPs and activists will be kicked out if they back the Brexit Party at Euro elections Tory chiefs have warned MPs and local activists they will be kicked out of the party if they back Nigel Farage in the European elections. The threat came as a poll shows Theresa May’s troops faces a hammering as Brexit voters desert her in droves. But some fed-up candidates vowed to jump ship instead of waiting to be pushed if the party goes ahead with the heavy-handed tactics. An Opinium poll showed support for the Tories has slumped to just 14 per cent ahead of next month’s the EU elections. That puts them on course to lose more than half of their 19 MEPs while the Brexit party – neck and neck with Labour on 28 per cent – in on course to win 28 seats. If there were a general election tomorrow, Tories would win just 26 per cent, seven points behind Labour, and would crash to a huge defeat. Tory MPs such as Lucy Allan, the MP for Telford, have openly tweeted encouragement for the Brexit Party, and dozens of others say privately they will vote for Farage. Some have discussed defecting. One prominent Brexiteer said: “Maybe we should all just defect to the Brexit Party. Can you imagine the chaos.” It was sent to members of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s European Research Group. A source close to Farage confirmed: “Nigel is very smug at the moment and is 100 per cent sure that there is at least one high-profile defection in the pipeline with others likely to follow.” Farage is also promising the 28 Tory MPs who remain opposed to May’s Brexit deal — a group known as the “Spartans” — that the Brexit Party will not contest their seats at the next election. – The Sun Don’t pin blame for Brexit chaos on local Tories, says Housing Minister Kit Malthouse While some ministers have found themselves cast into relative obscurity by the Brexit debate, Kit Malthouse planted himself squarely in the middle of it. In January the housing minister brokered a compromise plan formed by an extraordinary coalition of pro-EU and stridently Brexiteer Tories. For a brief period it appeared that the plan could give Theresa May a lifeline in the form of a Brexit plan that might just break the Commons impasse. But the Prime Minister chose not to adopt it as a new negotiating position with the EU. Now, Mr Malthouse, 52, who was a councillor for eight years in Westminster, is concerned that the “unedifying” mess in Westminster could harm the Tories in this week’s local elections. “People have a general sense of being fed up with politics in its wider sense,” he says. But he adds: “You work your backside off as a councillor … you’re on duty 24/7, it’s an enormous obligation, and they deserve, certainly the ones that I’m campaigning for in my constituency, a great result. Because they’ve done a great job. “We’re all part of one party. But in the end these are people who volunteer for public service in their area because they feel a sense of commitment to their community and that they’re trying to do their best for their community and for that vote to be affected by the Brexit impasse would seem to me unfortunate.” – Sunday Telegraph (£) Soft Brexit ‘hardly anybody’s choice’, poll reveals – May and Corbyn’s deals most despised Britons want anything but a soft Brexit, according to a poll that revealed Prime Minister Theresa May’s controversial EU agreement teamed with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn proposed deal are both despised by the British public. Research by University College London, achieved to shed light on the Brexit deadlock, showed that out of 5,000 candidates asked what four Brexit options they would prefer, Mrs May’s deal was the least popular with just 13.5 percent preference. Jeremy Corbyn’s version of a so-called soft Brexit was the second to be eliminated with 14.1 percent of the votes. Both options could shackle the UK to Brussels’ customs union and single market, with Mrs May’s controversial backstop agreement tying Northern Ireland closely to the EU if no solution is reached at the end of the transition period. The other two options, a no deal Brexit which would see Britain walk away from the EU entirely, and the final option to remain in the EU, were the favourites of the two in the poll published by The Times. Up to 51.9 percent would rather remain and overturn the result of the 2016 referendum, and 48.1 percent of those asked would happily leave the EU without a deal. – Sunday Express Beth Rigby: Tories in trouble as ‘Brexit betrayal’ sentiment overshadows elections These days there’s no safe ground for a Conservative campaigner. An undelivered Brexit makes for bleak local election terrain, and that’s before we even get to the European elections on 23 May. A week out from polling day and chairman Brandon Lewis is out knocking on doors in Yate, near Bristol. This is soft Leave territory – 53% of voters in this South Gloucestershire constituency voted to leave – and one of the very few places that swung to the Conservatives in the 2017 snap election. It has a very different feel to the hard Brexit country the Tories targeted in the wake of the 2016 EU referendum – Coventry, Chester, Wolverhampton, Wirral West. In the last set of local elections in 2018, Mr Lewis took me for on a visit to Dudley, where the Tories were trying to win control of a council they hadn’t held for 14 years. The Conservatives didn’t quite win that council, but it did take it out of Labour’s hands and into no overall control, picking up six seats on the back of UKIP’s collapse. But the days in which the Tories could try and flex their Brexit credentials to turn Labour, or UKIP-backing Vote Leave areas blue, are over. We are now touring territory the Tories are trying to defend rather than seats they are trying to win. This is a defensive play in a set of elections in which the Tories are defending a high watermark from the 2015 local poll, when they gained more than 500 seats. Nearly 60% of the 8,425 seats up for grabs across 248 councils next week are Conservative, with a quarter held by Labour. But it is equally true that the party is fighting these local elections in the worst possible of circumstances. Because for all the chat on the doorstep about the local park-and-ride, bin collections and pot holes, the theme of Brexit betrayal is never far from the surface as we tour the small bungalows of retirees in Yate. And the sentiment from those we canvass on the doorstep, and those who I interview in a local cafe, is one of frustration and disillusionment. – Beth Rigby for Sky News Nick Boles: A Tory-Labour Brexit deal is nigh. They must grab it or die While MPs enjoyed an Easter break from Brexit, Parliament Square was taken over by Extinction Rebellion. The sight of party leaders trying to ingratiate themselves with the movement’s schoolgirl maven, Greta Thunberg, was painful. But at least she took their minds off the more immediate harbingers of political extinction that are descending on Westminster like Game of Thrones’ White Walkers on Winterfell. Theresa May’s demise is imminent. The expiry of her premiership is only a few months away. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 committee, is a gentleman of the old school and would prefer to let her choose the time and manner of her exit. But he will not be able to hold back the angry hordes for much longer. Therefore the question for the prime minister is this: is she going to leave No 10 with no legacy at all or will she take some risks and try to push through a Brexit deal based on a compromise with Jeremy Corbyn? Corbyn’s position appears to be much stronger than the prime minister’s. But he and his key advisers know that if a Brexit deal isn’t done soon, the pressure within Labour for a second referendum will become unstoppable. If a referendum takes place, he will be forced to throw the full weight of the party machine behind a vote to remain in the EU. At this point, win or lose, his chances of becoming prime minister after the next election will be snuffed out, as working-class leave voters in Ashfield, Stoke, Wigan and beyond realise the Labour leadership never really believed in Brexit at all. Some Conservative MPs hope that the demise of their accident-prone leader will spell revival for the party. Nine years into a domestic programme defined by austerity, this looks improbable. The small chance of salvation that a new leader could offer will be utterly extinguished if Tory MPs fail to deliver Brexit before the European elections. Should Nigel Farage and Ann Widdecombe get to lead the Brexit Party in a tango through the streets of Strasbourg when the new European parliament opens on July 2, the Conservative goose will have been well and truly cooked. By agreeing a Brexit compromise that will take the UK out of the EU in good order before the end of June, Theresa May could cement her place in history as the prime minister who delivered Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn can preserve his chance of victory at the next general election and both Conservative and Labour MPs can avoid extinction and live to fight another day. – Nick Boles MP for the Sunday Times (£) James Forsyth: Theresa May will have to give the ’22 an answer Next week, Theresa May will sit down with Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee. He will ask her for more clarity on her departure plans. As I say in The Sun this morning, the answer that Mrs May gives will go a long way to determining her future. On Wednesday, the executive of the 1922 Committee rejected a change to its rules which would allow another vote of confidence in Mrs May’s leadership. But this decision was taken narrowly, 9 to 7 with 2 abstentions, and the executive did decide to ask the Prime Minister for more detail on when she will go. If Mrs May simply carries on saying that she’ll leave if the withdrawal agreement passes, that will not be enough. A response like this would almost certainly lead to the ’22 executive considering the issue again after the European Elections. By then, it will be clear whether the withdrawal agreement can be rescued or not. If it can’t be, I would then expect the ’22 to think again on a rule change unless Mrs May sets out a plan for her departure which would allow a new leader to be in place by party conference and before the crucial October European Council. As one of those who voted against a rule change puts it, ‘You won’t keep this at bay forever. But she has a few more weeks to pull a rabbit out of a hat’. Even Cabinet Ministers who don’t want a contest until Britain is out of the EU, because they fear that would favour candidates who are prepared to Brexit without a deal, accept that things ‘can’t go on like this’. It would also be courting disaster for Mrs May to do another conference as leader given how rapidly grassroots opinion is turning against her. But Mrs May won’t want to leave without having got a deal through. Without that, she ‘ll have no positive legacy at all. But with Brexit stuck right now, something needs to break this impasse. – James Forsyth for The Spectator Melanie Onn: Labour must stop its sleight-of-hand on a second Brexit referendum or risk alienating working people Since the referendum there has been no suggestion from Labour or the People’s Vote campaign about how the EU should be reformed to be improved, to speak to those who have become sceptics – just a clamour to try to undo the outcome of the referendum. It has been suggested, ahead of Tuesday’s Labour Party extraordinary NEC meeting, that Labour would decide (two days before the local elections) it will run on a platform of supporting a second referendum on any deal. While that may have been somewhat undermined by the leak of a leaflet that failed to mention this point, it still begs the question: why? Surely if the momentum in the country is – as we have been told by the likes of Lord Adonis – behind a second referendum, then all those People’s Vote activists will recognise that these elections are the prime opportunity to get turnout above the usual 30%, have a clean sweep of Remain parties and put to bed the concerns of MPs in Leave seats. But views in the towns and coastal regions really haven’t changed all that much since 2016, and in some cases have hardened towards a preference of a no-deal exit from the EU. – Melanie Onn MP for PoliticsHome Brexit in Brief Brexit is leading to family break-ups as couples have furious rows over their vote – The Sun Majority of Scots would back independence in event of no-deal Brexit – poll – Evening Telegraph