Theresa May Panorama interview: PM says 'it's Chequers deal or no deal' in Brexit negotiations

Theresa May suggested it could be either "her deal or no deal" in regards to Brexit negotiations in an interview on the BBC’s Panorama.

Television presenter Nick Robinson has followed the Prime Minister’s actions over the last two weeks closely for the programme which aired at 8.30pm on Monday.

Viewers were shown Mrs May and her continued work in the pursuit of a deal with the European Union, at a stage which she referred to as “critical”, alongside spliced with a sit-down interview.

Towards the end of the 30-minute broadcast, Mr Robinson asked her about the “meaningful vote” which would be cast upon any agreement with the European Union.

She said: “Every Member of Parliament, when it comes to that vote, I’m sure will recognise the significance of that vote.

“Do we really think that if the European Union, we’ve been through this negotiation, we get to the point where we’ve agreed a deal, that if parliament were to say, ‘no, go back and get a better one’, do you really think the European union is going to give a better deal at that point?”

Mr Robinson then asked the Prime Minister was saying it was “my deal or no deal”.

Mrs May, whose proposal thus far has been the so-called Chequer's deal, said: “I think the alternative to that would be not having a deal.”

As the programme began, Mr Robinson mentioned past references to Mrs May being able to be a “difficult woman” and asked where that difficult woman was.

She stated she was “still there”.

The Prime Minister described striking a deal that “delivers on the vote that people took” and her outlook that a positive deal can be reached.

Although she said there had to be negotiations, she said she was steadfast on certain points.

These were predominantly ending freedom of movement, ending the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and not sending “vast sums of money” to the EU, she said.

Other notable interviewees in the 30 minutes were the former Brexit Secretary, David Davis, his successor Dominic Raab, environment secretary Michael Gove, Conservative MP and Jacob Rees-Mogg and Keir Starmer, the shadow secretary of state for exiting the European Union.

Mr Davis stated that he thought the government had “blinked first” in negotiations.

Mr Raab, who has been dealing with Michel Barnier the chief negotiator on the EU's part in Brexit, said he was focussed on the negotiations.

Brexit backing Mr Gove said the Government’s deal was not going to be his “perfect vision” of Brexit, but that “we should never make the perfect the enemy of the good”.

Towards the end of the programme, Mr Starmer said he thought “no deal would be catastrophic”.

Mr Rees-Mogg said he did not think the Chequers deal would receive strong support in the Commons and also discussed his alternatives for the border with the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland – stating he felt it could exist with checks conducted further from the physical split itself.

Mrs May also discussed her “irritation” at focus being drawn on to her future as Conservative leader, stating the importance was the outcome of Brexit for the public, and also showed her disdain at Boris Johnson’s recent “suicide vest” comments, saying it was language she would not have used.