Theresa May’s ‘no deal’ bravado is a thing of the past

A transitional period that offers businesses some time, and some certainty.  A financial settlement including a one-off severance payment and possibly ongoing contributions for continuing programmes. A legal arrangement that concedes some sort of role to some sort of European court, and thus concedes that any substantive trade relationship with the EU will involve some sort of sharing of sovereignty.

Today’s government paper on the ECJ is more proof that Theresa May has come a long way from the days of “no deal is better than a bad deal”. The clear message from the UK government positions sketched out this summer is this: we want a deal. We really want a deal. We want a deal so much that we’re prepared to walk back from our previous rhetoric and posturing. Let’s talk.

This was predictable, and predicted. You didn’t need to be an expert in trade policy or EU law to realise that the force of political and economic gravity would eventually bring the wilder Brexiteers’ dreams back down to earth and that HMG would have to accept that Brexit will involve compromises.