A long delay is the only real way out of this Brexit quagmire | Matthew d’Ancona
“We are getting close to resolving this now.” So Philip Hammond told the BBC’s Andrew Marr today, delivering this fabulously silly Brexit forecast without a flicker of visible irony. Who says the chancellor doesn’t have a sense of humour? As it happens, he went on to break character pretty quickly by admitting that there may not even be a third meaningful vote on Theresa May’s deal this week.
If the government’s managers do not think they have a chance of winning – or at least of significantly reducing the margin of defeat – they will not subject the prime minister to yet another humiliation on Tuesday. The case for trying is the remarkable speed with which a number of previously hardline Brexiteers are discovering the merits of pragmatism and reconciliation. It is amazing how quickly non-negotiable objections can melt away as the clock ticks, reality bites and careerism trumps principle.
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2FbP7FS
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