UK PM May sees off leadership threat over Brexit

London: Embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday appeared to have seen off the threat to her leadership for now over her controversial Brexit divorce deal with the European Union, as she chaired her first Cabinet meeting since a slew of high-profile ministerial resignations.

Divisions within the camp of Brexiteer MPs in her Conservative Party meant that the 48 letters required to trigger a no-confidence vote have so far failed to materialise.

Last Friday, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab quit the Cabinet over "fatal flaws" in the draft Brexit agreement with the EU. Another Cabinet minister, Esther McVey, also quit alongside junior ministers Suella Braverman and Shailesh Vara.

Prime Minister May chaired a Cabinet meeting at Downing Street on Tuesday, ahead of her visit to Brussels to finalise the Brexit deal in a meeting with the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Under the Brexit, Britain will formally leave the 28-member economic bloc on March 29, 2019.

However, her troubles are far from over as Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) went into revolt mode by abstaining during some votes in the House of Commons on Monday.

This effectively shakes up the May government, which relies on the 10 DUP MPs for its majority in Parliament.

"We had to do something to show our displeasure," said DUP Brexit spokesperson Sammy Wilson, who said his party believes the Brexit agreement with Brussels breached a "fundamental" assurance that Northern Ireland would not be separated from the rest of the UK. Under the terms of their confidence and supply agreement, agreed after May lost her Commons majority in last year's general election, the DUP is supposed to back the government on Budget matters and on confidence votes.

Labour's shadow Cabinet Office minister, Jon Trickett, said the DUP's withdrawal of support on a Budget measure raised questions as to how long the government could carry on in the face of widespread opposition to May's Brexit

deal.