UK REACTION TO CHEQUERS PLAN

The Observer: “So May has strung together a fragile domestic political compromise only by confecting a solution that no one thinks the EU will accept. And even in the unlikely event that the EU was to sign on the dotted line, there is no disguising that while it may be better than dropping out with no deal, the Chequers agreement would be a terrible outcome for Britain. It is a sop to the Eurosceptic ideologues on the right side of the Tory party who harbour a pathetic nostalgia for a 19th-century manifestation of national sovereignty, back when Britannia ruled the waves. But that ideal... is long gone in a globalised, interdependent world.”

The Sunday Telegraph: “Two years ago felt like one of those special moments in British history. Fast forward to this weekend and the dream has been dashed. We are still technically leaving, but there will be no revolution, no new deal between elites and voters, and no great reset. Millions of people have indeed been betrayed, let down by a political class that had promised to implement the referendum in its true spirit: it is now clear that we are en route for associate membership of the EU, a looser, renegotiated arrangement rather than a real break.”

The Independent: “They have spent eight months wishing the Border problem away with magical technology, but now they have had to accept Mrs May’s non-magical solution. The position set out by the prime minister at Chequers is not perfect, and it should have been agreed months ago, but at least the government does have the semblance of a united and pragmatic position to put to the EU side in the negotiations.”

The Sun: “We have now, finally, put the ball in Brussels’ court. And we’re only at the start of what will be no doubt stormy negotiations for months to come. There remain serious questions about not just the compromise that Theresa May has forced on her cabinet but on the final deal she plans to sign.”