There are no good options left for Theresa May. Barring a remarkable turnaround (and there is more optimism on the government side than there was this morning), she is not going to get enough on the backstop to satisfy the DUP and so her deal will not pass on Tuesday. Her deal failing will trigger a series of events that will involve the Commons not only compelling the government to request an Article 50 extension but also seeking to take over the Brexit process.
Over the weekend, the views of key Tories on how disastrous this would be have hardened up. One influential, loyalist backbencher told me earlier that it would be better to pull stumps and fight a general election than let Letwin’s expected amendment, which would compel the government to hold indicative votes and then to try and negotiate whatever MPs back, pass.
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