Why Britain needs a clear Brexit vision

REAL hard politics begin again today after months when combat has been suspended. The new Prime Minister has to explain to her party, the country and the rest of the world what her aims really are.

She might appear to bestride the landscape, thanks to Labour’s civil war. But she is vulnerable to enemies within her own ranks, who can easily exploit her small majority.

And she must be careful not to weaken her position in Brussels by giving too much of her hand away in a public speech. So those who hope for the long-awaited precise definition of Brexit may be disappointed this week.

Even so, it must become clear soon whether her objective is mainly to keep UK access to the Single Market, or whether her over-riding aim is to control immigration.

As the diaries of Craig Oliver show all too clearly, David Cameron’s government was destroyed by promising too much on immigration.

And this must be a warning of just how tough the same issue could be, even after the Brexit vote.

Mrs May has started very firmly. She has emphasised the difference between her proudly suburban Toryism and Mr Cameron’s grander style. She has abolished the last traces of sofa government, and made it plain that she is in charge and likes things done formally.

But her authority is based on the Tory party’s desire for continuity and calm after a crisis. Only swift forward motion will keep her fractious MPs from plotting and carping.

So she has to make it plain that she is about to take the plunge and begin the process of fulfilling the referendum result. She also needs to give some idea of what matters to her most in the talks to come. There are many ways of doing this, and she has no urgent need to activate Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

But, however much she wants to concentrate on other domestic and foreign issues, it is Brexit that has put her in Downing Street, and Brexit which could yet plunge her into crisis if she does not get it right.