A cowardly, futile delay

IT is the most important vote in recent history and our Prime Minister – in office, but not in power – is running scared of it.

Suspending today’s showdown on her Brexit plan is a cowardly act and a futile one by weak and wobbly Theresa May.

Hers is a humiliation that proves once and for all that, though she pretends to act in the national interest, our country comes a sad third behind herself and her awful party.

The national good is all but forgotten in the PM’s need to save her own skin and her desire to preserve the modern Tories – that splintering coalition of venal interests that caused this mess and keeps on making it worse. But though May might run, she cannot hide. The leaders of the EU’s 27 countries know she will fail to secure substantial concessions.

All those MPs ranged against her know it, too. Everyone gets it but her.

The PM also cannot say when she will let our sovereign Parliament finally pass its verdict on her unrecoverable “deal”.

She is fighting to survive, day by day. Jeremy Corbyn and Labour must think before triggering a vote of no confidence. It could backfire if warring Conservatives rally.

But this lame duck PM, this rudderless Government, this deadlocked Parliament and this embarrassing stalemate cannot go on.

Our proud nation deserves better.