She doesn’t rant or rave, but the message is clear: the lady won’t be pushed around

WATCHING Theresa May give an icy blast to EU leaders after they ambushed her in Salzburg, I was cheering her on. I suspect many others were doing the same – whatever their view of Brexit.

No British Prime Minister should be treated with barely concealed disrespect by our allies. As someone who campaigned hard for Remain, it pains me to say that the EU lived up to the worst caricature of its opponents. Arrogant, inflexible and ideologically driven.

I can understand the immediate emotional response, which is to say that if you want to behave like that then we’re off. No more talks, no deal, and in particular, no more money from the British taxpayer. It is all very tempting. But we need not just to be strong, as the Prime Minister was in her Friday statement, but also coldly logical. We must ask, as she always does, what is in Britain’s longterm interest.

And we should not underestimate the potential economic damage of walking away, however high our emotions are running. Queues on the motorways as the ports clog up would be the visible sign of chaos. But the real danger is less visible, as around the world companies take the decision not to make their next investment in Britain.

Theresa May showed in her immediate reaction that she

is not to be messed with. Watching her statement, at times I thought she was channelling Margaret Thatcher.

Mrs May will deal with this crisis calmly and methodically. She does not indulge in ranting and raving. Instead she demands more evidence, more proposals, and reaches a conclusion after weighing up the evidence. Once she has reached a conclusion, she is not to be budged.

So what happens now? Are we at the end of the road? I think not. Much of the Salzburg ambush has the air of a t heatrical production. At some stage in these negotiations there had to be a breakdown, or the drama would not have been complete.

We are now in the breakdown phase, which is why the most significant words in the Prime Minister’s statement were the final ones: ‘We stand ready.’ This puts Britain in the position of wanting to resume negotiations when the Europeans are ready. Since we only have a couple of months to go before the absolute deadline for the end of these talks, I imagine they will start again later this month.

The first problem to solve is the Irish border, and the next is the outline of the future trade relationship. Both of these are huge issues.

The next couple of months are the biggest test Theresa May has ever faced. She will approach t hem with t he determination she always shows. European leaders may have underestimated that strength, but they will not do so in future. But just as she will not be pushed around, she will also not be driven off her path of looking for a deal. If the Europeans respond sensibly, the ice will melt.