Theresa May will unveil her Brexit 'plan B' to the British parliament this afternoon.

It comes after the withdrawal agreement reached between the UK and the EU was defeated in the House of Commons by a record margin last week.

This afternoon, Mrs May will present an alternative strategy on Brexit - although it is still unlikely to win over a majority of MPs.

Reports over the weekend suggested Mrs May was looking for a bilateral treaty with Ireland that would mean the backstop could be left out of the withdrawal deal.

She hopes that could be enough to win back support from the DUP and members of her own party who voted against her.

However, the Irish government has ruled that out - saying there can be no budging on the backstop.

Any changes to the withdrawal agreement would also need the approval of the EU.

Amendments

Meanwhile, some MPs will attempt to ambush Mrs May with votes that would take even more control away from the embattled Prime Minister.

One amendment being put down would give parliament the power to back an extension to Article 50 beyond the current March deadline.

Another would allow a minority of the House of Commons - just 300 voters - to call for a series of indicative votes on the future of Brexit.

This is designed to see if there's any deal - like a Norway-style arrangement or indeed a second referendum - that could command a majority in parliament.

At present that looks unlikely, with many MPs still bitterly divided over how Britain should leave the EU - or whether it should leave at all.

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Simon Coveney is in Brussels today.

He'll meet with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as European officials wait for the next moves from Westminster:

On the way to Brussels tonight for a busy day tomorrow at the Foreign Affairs Council and a meeting with @MichelBarnier

— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) January 20, 2019