Clock is ticking for May – and the UK

Prime Minister has shown steely determination over Brexit negotiations, but a deal still remains elusive

Even Prime Minister Theresa May’s most vocal opponents – and there are a great many of those in the parliamentary ranks of her own party – would have to concede she displays remarkable determination when the odds seem stacked against her.

Throughout more than two years of Brexit negotiations, Mrs May has come under relentless attack not only from opposition politicians but also from Conservatives who believe she is not up to the job. Many in her position would surely have given up long ago; instead, the Prime Minister ploughs on.

But while Mrs May’s determination may be admirable, it is not at all clear how it will get her out of the hole in which she now finds herself.

Last week, the PM saw off Tory rebels who called – and lost – a vote of no confidence in her leadership. Thanks to Tory party rules which state that no further confidence motion may be lodged for a further 12 months, Mrs May has some breathing space – but her options remain severely limited.

She has already postponed a parliamentary vote on the draft Brexit agreement she has reached with EU leaders because it was clear she would not win the support of a majority of MPS but when – inevitably – she has to bring the matter back to the Commons, defeat will almost certainly follow. Hardline Tory eurosceptics will reject the agreement for conceding too much ground to the EU while a growing number of MPS across the debating chamber will reject it because they believe only a second referendum – one which includes the option for the electorate to change its mind – can move forward a political project that’s sinking fast into a quagmire of rancour and recrimination.

Later today, the Prime Minister will address calls for a so-called “People’s Vote” in a statement to parliament. She will urge MPS not to “break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum”. Mrs May will insist that another vote would be likely to leave us no further forward than the last.

Many will agree with her analysis, but we are bound to point out that whatever the merits of her position neither the country nor Mrs May are any further forward than last week, when the government pulled that vote in order to avoid defeat.

With the UK due to leave the EU in just three months’ time, it remains unclear precisely how this objective can be achieved.