Breaking the deadlock

IN an ideal world, Britain would never have agreed to the EU’s insistence on settling a Brexit divorce bill before moving on to discuss trade.

Indeed, if justice and reason ruled supreme, Brussels would not have asked for any such payment. What does it say about a club, after all, if it has to punish its members for leaving?

But in this deeply imperfect world, it had become depressingly obvious that Brussels was interested only in money to fund its bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy – and never mind millions of EU citizens who depend on easy access to British markets.

Clearly, the talks were doomed unless Theresa May increased her offer. With so much at stake, therefore, this paper believes she was right to yield to the demands of realpolitik and offer to stump up more.

Yes, the figure of £40billion or so may sound steep (though since the EU originally demanded £100billion, it beats the Mail why the BBC – whose anti-Brexit hysteria insults the intelligence of licence-fee payers – represents Mrs May’s offer as a humiliating climbdown). But spread over several years, it is a modest price for the invaluable prize of regaining our sovereignty.

However, one thing must be spelt out unequivocally. To borrow a maxim from the EU’s own negotiating guidelines, since echoed by Mrs May: ‘Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.’

This means if the final deal offered is not to Britain’s liking, all bets will be off – and European Commission president JeanClaude Juncker can whistle for the cash.

But this is no time for pessimism. The early signs are that Mrs May’s pragmatic offer – backed even by Cabinet Brexiteers – will break the deadlock and set us on course for a deal that suits everyone.

If not, we have little cause to fear. Indeed, in a resounding vote of confidence in Brexit, a distinguished think-tank last night named Britain the best country in Europe in which to do business.

When we’re free from the dead hand of Brussels (and barring a Corbyn-led Marxist government), our attractions to trade and industry can only grow stronger still. DAYS after Labour MP Emma Dent Coad implied the Prime Minister was physically ugly, her colleague Tulip Siddiq launches a vicious attack on a pregnant TV producer, taunting her over the pain of childbirth. Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn’s Momentum continues its poisonous campaign to purge Labour of moderates. Welcome to the truly nasty party.