James Forsyth James Forsyth

Theresa May needs a Brexit back-up plan

Since Chequers, the UK has been making a big diplomatic push to try and move the Brexit talks along. As I say in The Sun this morning, this has had some success. Inside government, the view is that the chances of a deal are inching up. There is also cautious optimism that the British message on the Irish backstop, that a customs border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom is unacceptable, has finally been understood.

But Mrs May hasn’t had a breakthrough yet. There is no sign of the European Commission moving away from its position that the four freedoms of the single market can’t be separated.

Number 10 has put its faith in the member states being more pragmatic than the Commission—which is why May and her ministers are travelling around Europe trying to sell her plan directly to national capitals.

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