Whatever you think of Theresa May’s Brexit deal, you have to admire her fortitude and tenacity

THE weekend witnessed Theresa May finally settling and agreeing her Brexit withdrawal deal with the bureaucrats of the European Union in Brussels, bringing the proverbial curtain down on the two years of arduous political negotiations.

The past two weeks have been a gruelling experience for Prime Minster May. From her presence at the centenary commemorations marking the 1918 Armistice came the realisation that she would be signing an armistice herself, in one form or another, within weeks.

The argument over whether she has surrendered the sovereignty of the UK to the crocodiles of the European Union is another issue.

Anyone who witnessed her performance at Prime Minister’s Questions two weeks ago, following the announcement of the terms of the withdrawal agreement, could see her tenacity and forbearance against all forms of camouflaged slurs and jibes, not just about her draft deal, but about her dancing at her party conference, the accusations of betrayal by the DUP and her “cosying up” to the Barniers, Tusks and Junckers of this world.

Certainly, she has not bowed the knee to her own kith and kin in the Conservative Party, no matter about the Jacob or Boris back-stabbers.

Her mammoth task of trying to sell this deal to both her Cabinet and party uncovered a mass of disloyalty. When it now looks as though up to 80% of her own MPs will vote against her final deal, she still trundles along to the Number 10 Press conferences with her timeless mantra: “It’s my deal, or no deal.”

Theresa May’s attitude is reminiscent of Irish political leader John Redmond, who found himself facing similar charges in 1918. He reminded his followers: “I have acquired a very thick skin. Otherwise, I would be dead long ago.”

Love or loathe her, one must have admiration for the fortitude of Theresa May.

PETER DONNELLY By email