We are told that a cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow, the day before the prime minister gives her "important intervention" speech in Florence and she has apparently said she would welcome contributions from cabinet ministers (HERE). This is an insult to both her colleagues and the EU negotiators. How can such a crucial speech be given so little thought?
Are we really to believe the essential elements of the speech have yet to be agreed? Either she genuinely does not know what she's going to say which implies we are not taking the negotiations seriously and should upset Michel Barnier, or she has made up her mind and ministers input is actually useless in which case they should be upset.
The newspapers are claiming this morning Mrs May will offer 20 billion Euros (£17.7 billion) as settlement but if so, I think she will be disappointed and it will be demeaning for the UK. It will look as if we're bartering over something of vital national importance. Getting a trade deal of some sort will make us poorer than we would otherwise be, but it will avoid a catastrophe.
