The prime minister is becoming increasingly isolated. She is sticking rigidly to the old script even as all the other cast members begin rehearsing an entirely different play. Mrs May is now virtually a lone voice in telling us no deal is better than a bad one. Polling indicates the public are against it, the opposition are against it, we know there is no majority even among her own MPs for it and now, according to The Times (HERE), senior members of her cabinet are opposed.
"Theresa May is losing cabinet support for her plan to revert to a no-deal Brexit if Europe rejects the Chequers proposals, sources have told The Times.
"Senior ministers are increasingly worried that the prime minister will stick to her promise to force a no-deal Brexit if Europe rejects her plan again next month. Mrs May said on Tuesday: “I’ve always said no deal is better than a bad deal, and I think a bad deal, for example, would be something that broke up the United Kingdom.”
"Cabinet ministers are said to be looking at how to prevent Mrs May from locking Britain into a no-deal Brexit. Sources say that those opposed to her strategy include Dominic Raab, the Brexit secretary, Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, Michael Gove, the environment secretary, and Sajid Javid, the home secretary.
"They want her to consider a Canada-style free-trade deal if the EU rejects her proposals again at a summit on October 18, giving her a Plan B to avoid a no-deal. Their private concerns come after they backed Mrs May’s negotiating position at a recent cabinet meeting".
This comes as the National Farmers Union have finally realised that a no deal Brexit would be a 'catastrophe' for British farming by stopping UK food exports to the EU for at least six months with tariffs afterwards (HERE). As a counter the government is appointing a minister (HERE) to "oversee the protection of food supplies". In case you've forgotten, we are a modern European democracy in the 21st century, not a third world war zone. Brexit was supposed to set us on course for Utopia but it seems we will need to take an unavoidable detour across a wasteland filled with the starving masses to get there. Was it ever thus?
European ambassadors are gathering in closed session to discuss what is to happen on the EU side in the event that we fail to reach an agreement (HERE). Brussels is said to becoming "spooked" (HERE) about the prospects of a no deal exit amid doubts that even the later November deadline can be achieved. One diplomat is quoted about Theresa May:
If she cannot shift when there appears to be massed opposition against her plan on both sides of the debate and The Channel, what is it preventing her? One can only say it must be either her own stubbornness or the small clique in the DUP and the ERG who are the puppet masters pulling the strings behind her.
She can shift. She must shift. The "bloody difficult woman" will shift - eventually. But it might take another few days.
