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British PM May faces uphill battle as MPs gather for debate

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Martin Farrer brings the best news from the Guardian this Monday morning.

It might be the new year, but it’s the same old problem for Theresa May as she makes yet another desperate plea to EU leaders for concessions to persuade rebellious MPs to back her deal in a vote which she has promised will take place next week. Without offering any details, the prime minister said on Sunday that she was seeking “further assurances” on the Irish border backstop and Britain’s future relationship with Europe. But as parliament prepares to debate the Brexit deal this week, the PM faces formidable obstacles, including vehement opposition by many of her backbenchers and the Democratic Unionists to the backstop plan, implacable EU opposition to reopening talks on the 535-page withdrawal agreement and a groundswell of bipartisan support in Westminster for a second referendum.

It comes as Germany’s foreign affairs minister flies to Ireland tomorrow as the governments in Berlin and Dublin intensify their efforts to find a fix for the Irish border problem. Relations between the two countries have blossomed during the Brexit imbroglio, helped by the fact that the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, speaks German. But one EU source warned any fix would be around the forthcoming “political agreement”, and not on the withdrawal package which was “locked”. To find out what might happen over the next two weeks, check out this explainer from our political editor, Heather Stewart.

Oscar Favourite? – Olivia Colman seems set to go head-to-head with Glenn Close for an Oscar next month after they both won best actress awards at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles overnight. The British star triumphed in the musical or comedy category for her tragicomic turn as Queen Anne in The Favourite, while the veteran American won in the drama segment for The Wife. Other notable British successes were Ben Whishaw for his portrayal of Norman Scott in A Very British Scandal and Richard Madden for The Bodyguard. Christian Bale was also on the board for his role in Vice. The big surprise came at the end, however, when the critically unloved Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody scooped best drama and best dramatic actor for Rami Malek. Read how the awards unfolded at our live blog here and who won the battle of the red carpet.

 

Trump threat – Donald Trump has repeated his threat to declare a national emergency in order to override Congress and secure the $5.6bn funding he needs to build a wall along the border with Mexico. The US president raised the idea twice over the weekend as the government shutdown he triggered last month entered its 16th day. The newly installed House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has refused to drop her opposition to the wall. Adam Schiff, a Democratic leader on Capitol Hill, said the idea that Trump could invoke the 1976 National Emergencies Act, which grants a president powers to take unilateral acts in times of crisis, was “a non-starter”.

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Trade hope – US and Chinese officials are meeting in Beijing today in the hope of ending the damaging trade standoff between the world’s two largest economies. The dispute over tariffs, technology transfers and intellectual property rights has rattled financial markets, where fears are running high that a prolonged trade war risks a worldwide recession. However, hopes that the sixth round of negotiations between the two sides could yield a breakthrough have helped Asian shares rise overnight, combined with optimism on the back of strong US jobs figures on Friday. The FTSE is set to see a modest rise of 0.1% this morning.

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Teenager’s plea – A Saudi teenager who fled her family claiming physical and psychological abuse has barricaded herself in a hotel room in Bangkok after being refused onward passage to Australia. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, has renounced Islam and fears she will be killed if she returns to Saudi Arabia. A friend close to her said the threats to her life were real. Thai immigration officials said they would force her to board a plane to Kuwait on Monday but it left without her. She is refusing to leave her room until she sees the United Nations high commissioner for refugees.

 

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