
Jacob Rees-Mogg today urges hardline Eurosceptics to back Theresa May or face losing Brexit altogether as up to 20 hardcore Brexiteers could swing behind her deal if she agrees to quit tonight.

Writing in the Daily Mail, he says fellow Leavers have to face the 'awkward reality' that Remainers will thwart the 2016 referendum result unless the EU withdrawal agreement is passed.

Mr Rees-Mogg admits that his change of heart will prompt accusations of treachery from some of his followers but told them: 'Half a loaf is better than no bread'.

But he says the Prime Minister's plan is now the only way to ensure Britain leaves the EU and wrote: 'I apologise for changing my mind. By doing so I will be accused of infirmity of purpose by some and treachery by others. I have come to this view because the numbers in Parliament make it clear that all the other potential outcomes are worse and an awkward reality needs to be faced.'

Theresa May has been told directly that for Brexiteers including Boris Johnson to support her deal she will need to promise Tory MPs she will quit before the second stage of EU talks later this year. Mrs May will address Tory MPs at a meeting of the backbench 1922 Committee tonight.

Her chief whip Julian Smith reportedly believes that 20 or more rebels could be ready to switch sides while former minister Iain Duncan Smith is said to be hoping to broker the resignation deal and said last night: 'There is a pretty good chance the deal is going to get through'.

Senior Brexiteer Andrea Leadsom was lukewarm today when asked if she thinks Theresa May should stay on as Prime Minister and said she is 'not going to express a view' on whether she should resign for votes.

She said: 'I'm fully supporting the prime minister to get us out of the European Union. What happens after that is a matter for the prime minister'.

Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured today) but urged hardline Eurosceptics to back Theresa May or face losing Brexit altogether

Last night Boris Johnson gave the strongest hint yet that he could also fall into line, saying: 'If we vote it down again there is an appreciable and growing sense we will not leave at all. That is the risk'

Andrea Leadsom today refused to be drawn on whether the Prime Minister should commit to standing down once the Withdrawal Agreement is passed in order to win over wavering MPs as ministers including Michael Gove (right today) continue to fight for her deal

What PM needs to edge to victory... by just 2 votes. There are 235 Tory loyalists, 10 switchers, 30 who with back the deal if May quits, 10 DUP supporters and 24 Labour

Mr Rees-Mogg's intervention came as the number of Eurosceptics reluctantly backing Mrs May threatened to turn from a trickle into a flood.

What will happen in the Commons today? 2pm: Debate on how to organise the indicative votes begins. It will be the first time ever MPs have control of the agenda. 3pm: Votes to finalise the rules of indicative votes. This is set to say MPs will use a ballot paper to vote yes or no on a series of Brexit plans all at once. This can be amended to the rules could change. 3.15pm: Debate on the plans will start proper. Ideas are thought likely to include a soft Brexit, hard Brexit and a No Deal on April 12. It is unclear whether the Government will put its own deal into the mix. 7pm: The Commons will be suspended for 30 minutes so MPs can fill in and file their ballot papers. 7.30pm: Voting closes. MPs are due to spend up to 90 minutes debating the change to the law on Brexit Day. It is a technical change as EU law has already postponed it from March 29. 9pm: Speaker John Bercow will announce how MPs have voted on each Brexit plan. Anything which gets more than about 315 votes will have a rough majority in the Commons. It is possible the House could vote strongly in favour of nothing - or multiple contradictory plans. Advertisement

Seven Conservative MPs who voted against her plan earlier this month yesterday said they were changing their minds.

And last night Boris Johnson gave the strongest hint yet that he could also fall into line, saying: 'If we vote it down again there is an appreciable and growing sense we will not leave at all. That is the risk.'

Former Tory leader and Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith said last night there was now a good chance of Mrs May winning the 'meaningful' vote.

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said the Government hopes to be able to bring Theresa May's Brexit deal back to the Commons this week.

Mrs Leadsom told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think that there is a real possibility that it does. We are completely determined to make sure that we can get enough support to bring it back.'

She added: 'The Prime Minister said she is working hard, as many colleagues are, to persuade colleagues to support it.'

Mrs Leadsom refused to be drawn on whether the Prime Minister should commit to standing down once the Withdrawal Agreement is passed in order to win over wavering MPs.

'I am fully supporting the Prime Minister to get us out of the European Union,' she said.

Asked if Mrs May should stand down after that, she said: 'I think that is a matter for her. I am not expressing a view.'

The shift in momentum came as Remainers – led by Tories Sir Oliver Letwin and Nick Boles and Labour's Yvette Cooper – prepared to seize control of the Brexit process today in a bid to push through a soft departure.

MPs tabled a blizzard of amendments for consideration in today's 'indicative votes' in the Commons.

Options include revoking Article 50, which would effectively cancel Brexit, holding a second referendum and locking the UK into a single market and customs union. The latter would require Britain to accept free movement, EU laws and payments to Brussels.

Sir Oliver Letwin, the architect of the plan for the Commons to stage a series of indicative votes on the way forward on Brexit, tioday warned that if Theresa May tried to ignore the outcome, MPs could seek to force her to act.

'If on Monday one or more propositions get a majority backing in the House of Commons, then we will have to work with the Government to implement them,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

'The way I would hope it would happen under those circumstances is that we would have sensible, workmanlike discussions across the House of Commons and the Government would move forward in an orderly fashion.

'If the Government didn't agree to that, then those who I am working with across the parties will move to legislate to mandate the Government - if we can obtain majorities in the House of Commons and House of Lords for that - to carry that forward.'

Theresa May faces a series of votes on alternatives to the PM's Brexit deal - and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay were called for No 10 talks this morning

These are the seven options for Brexit MPs could vote on this week if Mrs May is forced towards a softer Brexit

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is said to have told the PM that if Parliament does mandate her to pursue a new Brexit route next week if her deal falls then she will break the law if she ignores it.

A KEY WEEK FOR BREXIT WEDNESDAY MARCH 27: MPs HOLD INDICATIVE VOTES ROUND ONE: MPs are set to hold the 'first round' vote choosing their preferred Brexit from options including Norway, a Customs Union, May's Deal and No Deal. They will most likely be able to choose more than one option at this stage, and will write their preferences on pink slips of paper rather than walking through lobbies in the traditional Commons voting method. The top options would then be put forward to another 'round two' vote. COULD STILL HAPPEN THURSDAY MARCH 28: MAY HOLDS A THIRD MEANINGFUL VOTE ON HER BREXIT DEAL: May is likely to try and pass her Brexit deal a third time, after the EU offered a Brexit date of 22 May if she does so this week. The Prime Minister will use threats that MPs will take control and force a softer Brexit in an attempt to force Brexiteer rebels and the DUP to finally back her. She may also offer them a date when she will quit in return for their support. Thursday is the most likely day for her vote, but there is a chance she won't hold it if she still does not believe she'll win. FRIDAY MARCH 29: MPs TAKE CONTROL? If the PM loses a third vote on her deal, or does not hold one, by Friday the Brexit date is reset until April. MPs and Remainer Cabinet ministers will try and force her towards a softer Brexit. Brexiteer MPs and Cabinet minister will conversely try and push her towards a No Deal exit from the EU. Minister have also claimed that they could call an election if MPs try to force them into a soft Brexit. MONDAY APRIL 1: INDICATIVE VOTES ROUND TWO: MPs are expected to rank their preferences for Brexit. When one option is knocked out, MPs second preferences will be counted. For example if a second referendum is knocked out, its supporters can switch to backing a soft Brexit. Parliament would agree to support the final option. WEDNESDAY APRIL 3: MPs COULD FORCE MAY'S HAND: If Theresa May refuses to accept MPs preferred Brexit option, they could try to pass new legislation compelling her to do so. Advertisement

As No 10 weighed up whether to put the withdrawal agreement to a vote for a third and final time tomorrow:

Ministers claimed Mrs May could set out a timetable for her departure when she addresses Tory MPs tonight in a bid to persuade them to back her plans;

Attempts to win over the DUP were rocked when the party's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson warned he would rather delay for a year than accept the withdrawal agreement;

Mrs May was warned that a string of pro-Remain ministers could quit today unless they are given a free vote on soft Brexit options;

Nick Boles said Remainers would force the Prime Minister to pursue a soft Brexit if she refused to downgrade her red lines;

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs that Parliament might have to sit through the Easter break;

The Prime Minister was facing the threat of a rebellion by her own whips over the vote to formally delay Brexit beyond March 29.

As chairman of the 80-strong ERG group of Tory MPs, Mr Rees-Mogg has led opposition to the Prime Minister's strategy. He was also a leading figure in the bid to topple her last year, which resulted in a confidence vote that she won.

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner has warned that Labour could have difficulty supporting a plan for a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal.

MPs will consider the motion, tabled in the name of former foreign secretary Dame Margaret Beckett, requiring a public vote before ratification of any deal, in a series of indicative votes on Wednesday.

However Mr Gardiner said that if Labour voted for it, it could suggest that they were a 'Remain party' - which was not the case.

He said that under the terms of the motion, any referendum could be a choice between Theresa May's deal or staying in the EU.

'It would be saying we could accept what we have always said is a very bad deal. Therefore it looks as if the attempt to have a public vote on it is simply a way of trying to remain because nobody likes this deal,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

'To put that up as the only alternative in a public vote and say we will let it go through looks as though you believe that at the end of it Remain would be the result.

'It is not where our policy has been. Our policy is clearly that we would support a public vote to stop no-deal or to stop a bad deal, but not that we would allow a bad deal as long as the public had the opportunity to reject Brexit altogether.

'That implies that you are a Remain party. The Labour Party is not a Remain party now. We have accepted the result of the referendum.'

His intervention came as the number of Eurosceptics reluctantly backing Mrs May threatened to turn from a trickle into a flood

Explained: How today's key votes will work and the Brexit options that MPs could decide on How tonight's key votes will work... Theresa May has said she will not necessarily be bound by the results - particularly if they are 'undeliverable' by the EU MPs have seized control on the parliamentary timetable so they can hold a series of votes this evening in a bid to work out what kind of Brexit has a chance of winning the support of the House of Commons.

At 2pm, normal proceedings in the House will stop and MPs will debate for an hour whether to go ahead with Tory former minister Sir Oliver Letwin's plan to stage indicative votes.

If they do, Commons Speaker John Bercow will at 3pm announce which Brexit options will go on the ballot paper. MPs had until last night to submit their suggestions.

Whilst the debate is taking place, Theresa May is due to address a meeting of the 1922 committee, which is the group made up of all Tory MPs.

At 7pm, MPs will be given paper slips listing the various Brexit options. They will get half an hour to mark Aye or Now next to each one.

Whilst the votes are being counted, MPs will debate legislation changing the Brexit date from 29 March to 12 April, after Mrs may agreed an extension with EU leaders at a Brussels summit last week.

The Speaker will announce the results of the indicative votes at around 9pm in the Commons chamber, revealing whether any of them commanded a majority of support.

Mrs May has said she will not necessarily be bound by the results - particularly if they are 'undeliverable' by the EU.

However, MPs are planning to seize control of the parliamentary timetable again next Monday so they can repeat the process to refine the options or attempt to pass legislation to enforce them. ...And the Brexit options that MPs could decide on Revoke Article 50 Put forward by SNP's Joanna Cherry Demands that if no deal has been agreed on the day before Brexit that MPs will get the chance to cancel the UK's notice to Brussels it would leave the EU. Second referendum Labour ex-foreign secretary Margaret Beckett States that MPs will not sanction leaving the EU unless it has been put to the electorate for a 'confirmatory vote'. Customs union Labour's Gareth Snell Demands that ministers negotiate a new customs union with Brssels, which would prevent the country being able to strike its own trade deals. Labour's plan Jeremy Corbyn Also includes a comprehensive customs union but with a UK say on future trade deals and close alignment with the single market. No deal Eurosceptic Tory John Baron Tabled a motion demanding 'the UK will leave the EU on 12 April 2019' without a deal. However, a No Deal Brexit has already been rejected twice by MPs. Common Market 2.0 Cross-party group including Tory former minister Nick Boles and Labour's Stephen Kinnock A soft Brexit that would keep the country in the single market and involve a new customs arrangement, meaning continued freedom of movement and ongoing contributions to the EU budget. Similar to Norway's arrangement with the EU. Malthouse Compromise Nicky Morgan, Jacob Rees-Mogg and DUP's Nigel Dodds Demands the Brexit deal is changed so the Irish backstop is replaced with 'alternative arrangments'. Single Market Tory former minister George Eustice Would keep the UK in the European Economic Area (EEA), but unlike the Common Market 2.0 plan would not involve a customs arrangement. Again, similar to Norway's deal. Advertisement

Today he cautions colleagues against believing that removing Mrs May would solve the Brexit crisis.

'A number of Tory MPs think a new leader could swiftly renegotiate but that is almost certainly not true now that Parliament has taken control of the House of Commons timetable,' he writes.

'It would be even harder for a Eurosceptic to manage the current Commons than it is for Mrs May.'

Mr Rees-Mogg, whose backing is subject to support from the DUP, says the agreement negotiated by the Prime Minister 'is a bad one' – and he would rather leave under No Deal, but this was effectively ruled out.

Six other Eurosceptic Tories who have voted against Mrs May's plan said yesterday they would now back it.

They were former Tory vice-chairmen Rehman Chishti and Ben Bradley and MPs Michael Fabricant, Gordon Henderson, Eddie Hughes and Henry Smith. They join a trickle of Brexiteers who have changed their minds in recent days, including former Cabinet minister Esther McVey, James Gray and Daniel Kawczynski.

Privately, ERG sources acknowledge the group is likely to split, with a hard core of 'refuseniks' unwilling to back any deal.

This group includes former Cabinet ministers John Redwood and Owen Paterson, Mr Rees-Mogg's deputy Steve Baker, and Tory grandee Sir Bill Cash. A senior government source last night confirmed that the PM wants to try another vote this week – possibly tomorrow or even Friday – but said she would do so only if she was confident of winning.

'Realistically if we don't get the deal through this week then we are looking at a long delay and participation in the European Parliament elections,' the source said. 'Things are moving, but the numbers are not there yet.'

Hardline Brexiteers – including Sir Bill – yesterday accused Theresa May of exceeding her lawful powers by delaying Brexit beyond this Friday.

They said there were 'serious legal objections' to the agreement made at last week's EU summit to extend the UK's membership.

Theresa May could be prepared to make clear that she will quit No10 within weeks if Tory MPs agree to back her Brexit deal, ministers believe.

Senior Eurosceptic Conservatives are demanding that she names a date for her departure when she appears before the 1922 Committee of backbenchers at 5pm today.

Last night one close ally of the PM told the Mail that they believed she could now agree to leave Downing Street 'if it were in the national interest and she finally got this thing through'.

However, the ally warned it would be her 'last move' and she would only agree to go if it was clear the deal would pass.

Ten Brexiteers, including European Research Group chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg, have now said they could back the deal if it comes back to the Commons regardless of Mrs May's intentions.

They fear that moves by former Tory minister Sir Oliver Letwin and Labour's Hilary Benn – who have organised a series of indicative votes in the Commons today – will result in a much softer Brexit, a long delay to leaving the EU or no Brexit at all.

But a larger group are holding out until an announcement from the PM of a firm date when she will go.

Behind the scenes, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith was yesterday said to be 'actively encouraging' Brexiteer MPs to back the deal on the basis of a discreet promise by Mrs May to go if it passes.

He is thought to have proposed the idea at last weekend's Chequers summit and told the PM he could deliver 90 per cent of the ERG's hardline Leavers if she agreed to quit. Mrs May did not rule out the idea but responded sceptically: 'I'm not sure you can get me the numbers.'

Other senior Eurosceptics want the PM to go public with her promise tonight. It comes amid signs Mrs May could call a third Brexit vote as early as tomorrow if she believes she can get enough support for the Withdrawal Agreement.

Tory Nigel Evans, executive secretary of the 1922 Committee, told the BBC last night: 'The Prime Minister will be addressing the 1922 tomorrow at 5pm. I am encouraging her in that speech to give the timetable for her departure.

'A number of Brexiteers are reluctant to support her deal because they think if it gets over the line, she will then say 'Look what I've achieved – I'm staying'. A number of them want to make absolutely certain she's nowhere near the negotiating table when we start talking about the future trade relationship with the EU.

'If the Prime Minister announces a timetable of departure, I think that's going to swing a lot of people behind her deal – we could get it over the line.'

Prime Minister Theresa May and Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Stephen Barclay leave Downing Street yesterday

Dover Tory MP Charlie Elphicke told Kent Online: 'If the deal does get endorsed, it should be on condition Theresa May agrees to stand down.

What I am clear on is that if we are going to support it, there needs to be a change of negotiating team. I think we need to have a change of leadership and a new face and a new team to take us forward to the future relationship.'

Former education minister Tim Loughton said it was 'inevitable' Mrs May would go but she could leave with her 'head held high' if she got her deal through.

Cabinet ministers were in talks with the Democratic Unionist Party in Whitehall last night in a last-ditch attempt to win its support – which is seen as necessary before Eurosceptics will fall in line.

A total of 75 Tories – including half a dozen arch-Remainers – voted against the deal when it was defeated two weeks ago by a majority of 149.

At yesterday's Cabinet meeting ministers, including Commons leader Andrea Leadsom and Treasury chief secretary Liz Truss, pledged their determination and 'resolve to get this done'.

Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom leaves 10 Downing street, London after a cabinet meeting yesterday. Liz Truss, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Politicians walks through Westminster

A source said: 'They are pulling out all the stops to try and get colleagues over the line.'

But one Cabinet minister estimated the odds of Mrs May getting the deal through at just 30 per cent. Her allies downplayed expectations, saying 'everything has to fall in place at once' and it wouldn't be clear until lunchtime today what would happen.

Even if she wins over the DUP and most of her backbenchers, Mrs May will still need Labour MPs to back the deal. A group of up to 25 hardline ERG members are seen as 'irreconcilable' – including Sir Bill Cash, Sir John Redwood and former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson.

Some of these argue that they can still secure a No Deal Brexit regardless of a bid by Sir Oliver to try to find a softer deal the Commons can agree to.

Other Eurosceptic MPs said they were determined to oppose the deal. Dr Julian Lewis, chairman of the Defence Committee, told the Mail: 'The choice revealing itself is one between a clean Brexit or tearing up the result of the referendum.

'It is vital that those of us who believe in Brexit neither 'flag nor fail' in Churchill's immortal phrase, at this decisive stage.'

The Easter recess of parliament may be cancelled as MPs try to get a grip of Brexit, Mrs Leadsom said yesterday.

She stressed Britons would expect MPs to be 'working flat-out'. She told the Commons: 'I have announced the dates for Easter recess. But, as is always the case, recess dates are announced subject to the progress of business.

'We will need time in the House either to find a way forward or to pass the Withdrawal Agreement bill, and I think the country will rightly expect Parliament to be working flat-out in either scenario.' The recess is due to run from April 4 to 23.

JACOB REES-MOGG: I apologise for changing my mind. But this is why I'm ready to back Mrs May

I apologise for changing my mind. Theresa May's deal is a bad one, it does not deliver on the promises made in the Tory Party manifesto and its negotiation was a failure of statesmanship.

A £39 billion bill for nothing, a minimum of 21 months of vassalage, the continued involvement of the European Court and, worst of all, a backstop with no end date.

Yet, I am now willing to support it if the Democratic Unionist Party does, and by doing so will be accused of infirmity of purpose by some and treachery by others.

I have come to this view because the numbers in Parliament make it clear that all the other potential outcomes are worse and an awkward reality needs to be faced.

Mrs May ought to have concluded a better agreement but behind the backs of two secretaries of state, David Davis and Dominic Raab, she did not.

The agreement on the table is as it is, and the proposal to replace the backstop with something else, particularly the Malthouse Compromise (a managed No Deal exit — if a deal cannot be agreed) has floundered.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has said he is ready to back Theresa May's deal 'because the numbers in Parliament make it clear that all the other potential outcomes are worse'

Delay

The EU, in the knowledge that it was dealing with a weak counterparty, has refused to reopen the text and the Government has not been willing to threaten No Deal in any effective way. The late start to No Deal planning and the reluctance to use it in negotiations has been a significant reason for the poor outcome.

Until last week, nonetheless, No Deal remained the default legal option but the Government and the Prime Minister have now ruled this out and with the support of Parliament can now do so.

No Deal is an outcome I would prefer to Mrs May's deal. It would be a fully-leaded Brexit and mere motions in the Commons could not have stopped it.

Indeed, despite a clear majority of MPs opposing such a departure, it would have happened on Friday had Mrs May not used her executive authority as Prime Minister to postpone the day of Brexit.

Once No Deal had been ruled out, it was necessary to examine what would happen in the event of the current agreement not passing. This would lead to a long delay as there is no opportunity of renegotiating anything before the European elections at the end of May. Two years or more is proposed but considering the opposition to Brexit it could be revoked or put to a skewed second referendum.

A long delay would make remaining in the EU the most likely outcome.

If the moral authority of 17.4 million voters and a General Election in 2017 when both main parties committed to respecting the result could not deliver our departure in three years, how strong a mandate would it be after five? Even if the fear of remaining were exaggerated, it would inevitably lead to an even softer Brexit.

It is a sad fact that there is a gulf between Parliament and the people. Fifty-two per cent voted Leave but two-thirds of MPs want to remain. The Lords is even worse with a tiny minority of pro-Leave peers.

After giving people the right to decide, too many politicians felt that the voters gave the wrong answer and must be saved from themselves. Two years further from the referendum would allow for the demands to be watered down again, leaving the UK shackled by a Customs Union or as a Norway-style rule-taker.

If this were all, it could be sensible to take the risk and see if something better turned up. A number of Tory MPs think a new leader could swiftly renegotiate but that is almost certainly not true now that Parliament has taken control of the Brexit timetable.

No Deal is an outcome I would prefer to Mrs May's deal. It would be a fully-leaded Brexit and mere motions in the Commons could not have stopped it.

It would be even harder for a Eurosceptic to manage the current Commons than it is for Mrs May. Even if this could happen, politicians must look at the current constitutional clash and fear for our polity.

The constitution is under attack in three ways. The first is between the Government and the Commons.

This has been encouraged by the Speaker whose noble efforts to allow the Commons to hold the Government to account have gone too far and now seek to take the role of the Government to the legislature.

Recklessness

This is dangerous because the Commons' job is to provide confidence in a Prime Minister who can take decisions for which she or he is accountable.

These decisions ought to be in accordance with manifesto commitments and if there is no confidence in the duly elected Prime Minister, then control ought to return to voters, not to a cabal of MPs who will have random majorities on various issues but no clear leader or mandate.

Separation of powers between Downing Street and the Commons is a crucial part of how we are ruled and a protection against arbitrary government.

Upsetting this balance is unwise to the point of recklessness and the Sir Oliver Letwin takeover proves the point.

Unfortunately, the second breakdown is just as serious. The Government only functions if ministers support a single position or resign, and this has been the reality since the 1830s. There can only be one Government position, otherwise how can it be held to account? How can electors know how power is being exercised if different ministers say the first thing that pops into their heads?

Recently, three Cabinet Ministers failed to back Government policy on the vote to leave the EU without a deal and in a rather jejune fashion ostentatiously abstained.

As they did not resign, this undermines one of the cornerstones of the constitution, making it harder for the Government to function.

Faltering

Any government must be able to get its business done. If it cannot, it is unable to govern. The principle of the separation of powers and of collective responsibility lie at the heart of this.

A number of Tory MPs think a new leader could swiftly renegotiate but that is almost certainly not true now that Parliament has taken control of the Brexit timetable

The great Duke of Wellington was famous for insisting that the Queen's Government must go on and that all responsible politicians have a duty towards such an end, even if it countermands their own piety.

The worst breakdown, though, is between the elected and the electors.

The condescension of politicians who feel that Leave voters were all stupid and ought never to have been allowed to decide something so complicated is tragic.

Ultimately, voters know best and must be trusted. Imperfect as it is, Mrs May's deal gets closer to that than anything else available.

The Withdrawal Agreement has one great virtue. Legally, we would have left and to re-join would mean agreeing to adopt the Euro single currency, Schengen (the abolition of national borders) and no rebate. Such a course would be expensive and hugely unpopular.

The backstop, too, could tie us into rules that we did not like. But outside the EU, it would be a political not a legal matter.

International law is not as clear-cut as EU or domestic law and there is no court to rule between states and international bodies.

Ultimately, Brexit could be delivered upon but it would take longer.

It would need a Commons that wants to use our freedoms and that is willing to insist that the word 'temporary', as applied to the backstop, is genuine.

It needs political leadership and a desire to stop the weak-minded managing of decline and a belief in the UK.

Theresa May's deal is a more faltering step than I want, or feel, could be taken —but at least it is a step forward.