To adopt or to reject? Papers give their views on PM’s Brexit plan

Theresa May has returned to Britain with her Brexit deal ahead of an uphill battle to get MPs’ backing.

Here the papers give their views on the Prime Minister’s agreement and what should happen next.

The Daily Mail says Sunday’s summit was “yet another occasion to be thankful” Mrs May is PM, praising her for showing “great fortitude under pressure”.

“The Mail would urge MPs on all sides to contemplate the havoc they could unleash if the deal does not pass a Commons vote. They should also listen to voters, who on the whole accept the need for compromise and just want the deal done,” the paper says.

The Guardian says Brexit is an “economic and political disaster” and a “folly” that is fuelling, rather than healing, divisions in the country.

“The past weeks have underscored that the loss is Britain’s,” the paper says. “Any Brexit deal is a bad deal for the country.”

The Sun says the deal is a “surrender” and it “cannot recommend this deal to our readers, nor to MPs”.

“We are defining what this country looks like for decades to come. Let’s get it right,” the paper says.

The Times says Mrs May will have to show that those suggesting there is a “Plan B” are indulging in fantasies.

“Mrs May is right: the only alternatives to her deal are no deal or no Brexit. Yet it is also clear there is no majority in parliament for the chaos of a no-deal,” the paper says.

The Daily Telegraph says that, with defeat of the deal likely, the EU must change its approach.

“The UK entered this process seeking a fair-minded agreement that would keep trade flowing while cementing our friendship through cooperation as equals. If all the EU is willing to countenance is our capitulation to its terms, we should not be afraid to walk away,” the paper says.

The Daily Mirror says Mrs May’s “absolute certainty” that her plan is the right one is unjustified.

“Even a leader as bad at reading the room as Mrs May must recognise that she needs to quickly convert her many opponents – on both sides of the house – if she has any chance of persuading MPs to endorse her deal,” the paper says.

The Daily Express says that it had thrown its support firmly behind the Leave campaign, but it accepts “now is the time for unity”.

“It is far from perfect but the other choices are even worse. What must happen now is that we must come together. Both sides must be prepared to accept compromise in the national interest,” the paper says.