Britain needs to back down on the backstop – but the EU must help

Theresa May’s attempt to alter her Brexit deal is going down badly in Brussels. The anger is partly understandable: after all, this is the agreement May’s own government negotiated. Donald Tusk’s barbed comment today – that there is a “special place in hell” for those who promoted Brexit without a plan – can be explained by this frustration. But the EU also needs to face up to the political reality: May’s deal suffered a crushing Parliamentary defeat by 230 votes. It’s all very well having an agreement that works in Brussels theory, but it still has to get through the Commons. If Brussels really wants a deal, it too needs to move; MPs may need to climb down, but the EU can help to provide them with ladders.

This doesn’t mean that Brexiteers don’t need to think again when it comes to the backstop. They need to accept that there are legitimate reasons for its inclusion in the withdrawal agreement and face up to the fact that scrapping it entirely is not going to happen.