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As Tuesday's Brexit vote draws closer, Theresa May is preparing to deliver a speech in the Commons later - you can follow that here.

Earlier today, in a speech in Stoke-on-Trent, she urged MPs to back her Brexit deal "for the country's sake".

She warned of "paralysis in Parliament" if the deal is rejected and said trust in politics would suffer "catastrophic harm" if the UK did not leave the EU. Read more here.

Tomorrow is the final day - day five - of the debate, followed by the "meaningful vote" on the PM's deal.

If the deal is rejected Mrs May will get three working days to come up with a "plan B".

About 100 Tory and Democratic Unionist MPs are expected to join the opposition parties voting against the deal.

Labour has vowed to table a vote of no confidence "soon" if Mrs May is defeated.

Former chairman of the Conservative party Lord Patten has called Theresa May's Brexit deal a "terrible shambles".

He warned that arguments over the EU were set to "pollute British politics" for a long time - even if her deal passes the vital Commons vote.

He told the House of Lords that "civil wars" in political parties did "one hell of a lot of collateral damage" - not just to the Tories but the country.

Instead, he said the "collateral damage" should be limited in coming weeks in a way that does not make the UK poorer or less influential.

Press Association

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At least 64 Conservative MPs have said they will vote against Theresa May's Brexit deal tomorrow, according to Press Association calculations.

The news agency expects the tally to climb higher as the debate on the withdrawal agreement continues.

A rebellion by 64 Tory MPs could be enough to leave Theresa May facing defeat in the Commons by more than 100.

There are 639 MPs who will be able to take part in the vote on Tuesday night - the number voting against the deal is currently projected to be about 383.

Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick says he won't vote down Theresa May's deal, but might abstain.

Despite having chalked up 13 resignations amid all the in-party Brexit bickering, the Conservative party is leading in the latest YouGov/Times poll says the Times.

Sam Coates, deputy political editor of newspaper, says the Tory party is running six points ahead of Labour.

The Guardian

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry tells the Guardian she is urging the prime minister to call a general election - partly due to historical precedents.

She says: "In a country with an unwritten constitution like ours – we are reliant on historical tradition, rather than a clear set of rules, to dictate what should happen in circumstances like these."

Ms Thornberry adds: "If she refuses, if Labour’s no confidence motion fails, and if we have to move to other options, including campaigning for a public vote, we will take no lectures from her about respecting our country’s democracy.

"Because she will be the one who has forced us into that position by ignoring every historical precedent on which that democracy is based."

You can read her full article here, external.

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More than 200 million tweets referring to Brexit have been sent since the EU referendum result was announced.

About two-thirds of those came from the UK, Twitter says.

Prime Minister Theresa May has been the most mentioned person linked to Brexit, ahead of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Labour MP David Lammy, Labour peer Andrew Adonis and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, according to the social media site.

A letter from Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to Theresa May, setting out his response to the joint letter from Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, has been released.

Mr Cox said that the joint letter confirmed that the European Council's assurances in December on the temporary nature of the backstop "would have legal force in international law" - but that they "do not alter the fundamental meanings" of the withdrawal agreement.

He told the PM: "It is therefore my judgement that the current draft withdrawal agreement now represents the only politically practicable and available means of securing our exit from the European Union."

Brexit Minister Kwasi Kwarteng tells the BBC: "I think that there is a very real danger that if the deal is voted down, we will enter a situation in which the House of Commons will try and take control, and will prevent Brexit from happening.

"And I think that is a very real and present danger."

Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab urged MPs to vote against the Prime Minister's EU Withdrawal Agreement - which he helped to negotiate - as he criticised "scaremongering" around a no-deal exit.

He also refused to comment on a potential Conservative leadership bid after MPs vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal on Tuesday, which is expected to be rejected.

"The fundamental way we get change in the Withdrawal Agreement, a negotiated change, and the only way, is to vote down the current, I think, bad terms tomorrow," he said.

"And then the Government will have an opportunity to go back to the EU.

"The idea that the only option is this very poor deal on the table, I'm afraid I think is a bit of scaremongering and whip's tactics that have been fired up to try and increase their vote."

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Labour MP Pat McFadden, a leading supporter of the People's Vote campaign for a second referendum, says Theresa May's proposed deal will make us "poorer and weaker".

"Poorer because even the government's own assessment admitted this," he said.

"Weaker because, far from giving us more control, this deal sees us obeying EU rules and regulations for years to come but giving up our say over them - the very opposite of what Brexit was supposed to bring about.

"The prime minister even admitted in her speech that in the past few weeks she has been unable to secure the changes to the agreement she was seeking from the EU."

Scottish National Party foreign affairs spokesman Stephen Gethins has accused the PM of wasting time in the Brexit debate.

He said: "Rather than recognising Parliament's outright opposition to her botched Brexit deal, Theresa May has once again demonstrated her intention to run down the clock and carry on regardless of reality.

"Tomorrow's key Brexit vote was pulled by the prime minister last month as she pledged to seek further assurances from the EU.

"Today's latest exchange with the EU has revealed that beyond 'best endeavours,' nothing has changed."

Editor George Osborne tweets out the Evening Standard's second edition which splashes on today's efforts from the PM to win over MPs. He says her last ditch attempts have "failed".

Daniel Sandford
Home Affairs Correspondent

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The government is encouraging all British driving licence holders who live in the EU to exchange their licence for a local EU driving licence as soon as possible, in case there is a "no deal" Brexit.

It is also warning people who live in the UK that if they want to drive in Europe after March, they may need an international driving permit (IDP) in some countries.

In the guidance, external, which was updated today, the government warned UK drivers: "From 29 March 2019, in the event that there is no EU Exit deal, you may need an IDP in addition to your UK driving licence to drive in EU and EEA countries."

It also said that UK driving licence holders living in the EU from 29 March "may have to pass a driving test in the EU country you live in to be able to carry on driving there."

"You should consider exchanging your UK driving licence for an EU driving licence as soon as possible."

Increased demand may lead to longer processing times and delays to exchanging driving licences the closer it is to 29 March 2019," the guidance adds.

Image source, Getty Images

Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, says that "rather than reassure us, the Tusk and Juncker letter bolsters our concerns" over the Brexit deal.

He says concerns over the backstop remain.