Sulking saboteurs

JUST when it seemed Theresa May might be inching through the minefield towards an orderly Brexit, up pop the Tory hardliners to deliberately detonate a bomb.

Two weeks ago, Parliament accepted it would back her imperfect, but prudent, deal if she secured legally-binding changes to the despised Irish backstop – allowing Britain to sign global trade deals.

It was a long shot, with the intransigent EU showing little interest in budging.

But there was a glimmer of hope she could succeed and deliver Brexit on time. After all, No Deal would be catastrophic for the eurozone as it lurches towards recession.

Displaying customary fortitude, Mrs May impressed upon Europe’s chancelleries that she could get those tweaks over the line. The key was proving there was a stable majority for them in Parliament.

But yesterday hard-Brexit saboteurs sulked over the wording of an unremarkable symbolic motion on the Government’s strategy – helping inflict an embarrassing defeat on No10. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. This was blasting off both legs at the knees!

What do the Eurosceptics think will happen now? Parliament is unlikely to fulfil a Brexiteer fantasy and let us crash out without a deal – plunging Britain into turmoil. Instead, MPs are likely to push back the departure date, causing damage and uncertainty, and trap us in a customs union.

How bitterly ironic that those who profess to be the defenders of a pure Brexit risk destroying it altogether. Out in the real world, where people have jobs and mortgages, they are crying out for politicians to act in the national interest.

The Brexit ultras must get a grip before it’s too late. By uniting behind Mrs May, they can still prevent the prize slipping through their fingers.