Downing Street refuses to specify amendments it may back in Commons

Downing Street has refused to say which Brexit amendments it could support in a series of votes, as it increasingly appears Theresa May believes it is up to the EU to deliver a departure agreement by giving ground on the Irish backstop.

The House of Commons will consider amendments to a motion on the prime minister’s Brexit plan on Tuesday evening – some seeking to avert a no-deal departure and others trying to water down the backstop, the Irish border insurance policy that prompted the Democratic Unionist party and many Tory MPs to vote against her proposal earlier this month.

However, only some amendments will be picked for a vote by the Speaker, John Bercow. Asked which ones the government might back, May’s spokesman said it was impossible to say before they were selected “We’ll have to see which amendments are chosen before any of those decisions can be taken,” he said.

The debate will take up most of Tuesday’s Commons business. It will be opened by the Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, and closed by May.There has been considerable focus on an amendment supported by the senior Conservative backbencher Graham Brady, which says the backstop should be replaced by “alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border”.

While this would have no force, and Ireland and the EU have stressed that such a change cannot happen, the hope among MPs backing the move is that if it were passed, it would give May a tangible sign to take to Brussels. Speaking on Monday, Brady said this would give the prime minister “enormous firepower”.

May’s spokesman declined to set out what changes might be sought to get a Brexit deal passed but he stressed the importance of addressing MPs’ concerns on the backstop and dismissed reports that the prime minister could ease back on her Brexit “red lines” – thus placing a heavy emphasis on Brussels to yield.

“What is absolutely clear is that when parliament voted to reject the deal, and therefore the withdrawal agreement, the backstop was very significant among the concerns which were raised, and therefore we need to address those concerns if we to are get support for the deal,” he said.

“What you have consistently heard from European leaders is that they want the United Kingdom to leave with a deal. I think there’s recognition that the United Kingdom leaving with a deal is in their best interests as well as those of the UK.

“The deal that has been agreed was defeated in parliament, so therefore if we are going to leave with a deal, clearly we are going to need to make some changes in order to win parliamentary support.”

The stage is thus set for a potential standoff between London and Brussels, with EU leaders equally insistent on the role of the backstop, which would keep Northern Ireland in customs alignment with the Irish Republic to avoid a hard border if there is not a permanent deal or other arrangement.

If no agreement can be reached on the backstop, May will be left having to potentially put her deal to MPs again, with the only changes made to domestic issues, such as guarantees on workers’ rights and environmental protections.

The prime minister is committed to returning to the Commons for a second meaningful vote “as soon as possible”, her spokesman said.He denied May was trying to run down the clock to force the hands of MPs or the EU. “What we’re working to do is to secure a deal which parliament can support,” the spokesman added.

May is meeting Tory MPs and MEPs over the next couple of days, and is expected to make a statement to the Commons on the next steps after the votes on the amendments, whether that evening or the following day.

Another amendment, tabled by the Labour MP Yvette Cooper, would oblige the government to extend the Brexit deadline if an agreement has not been struck by the end of next month.Nick Boles, the Tory backbencher who is pushing for the plan alongside Cooper, argued it was vital the amendment attracted enough support to be passed.

“If we don’t seize the moment tomorrow afternoon then we’re at grave risk of just driving off the edge on 29 March, without really wanting to, and when there might be a compromise that we could achieve if we had a few more months,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday.

It remains unclear whether either of these main amendments – or any of them – would be passed if they came to a vote.

The Cooper plan has attracted scepticism from some Labour MPs in leave-voting seats, who could potentially vote against it in sufficient numbers.It also remains to be seen whether Tory Eurosceptics consider Brady’s proposal sufficiently robust to assuage their backstop fears. The European Research Group was due to meet on Monday afternoon to decide on a position.