This week may prove to be a turning point in the tortuous Brexit saga, but it is by no means clear in what direction the British ship of state is now sailing.

This week may prove to be a turning point in the tortuous Brexit saga, but it is by no means clear in what direction the British ship of state is now sailing. An already weak British Government, on which the mantle of leadership would normally fall, has been further weakened in two respects. Parliament has seized control of the Brexit timetable by passing a law on Monday night designed to disarm “No deal” as a credible threat. And the EU has the ability to grant or withhold the requested delay to the Brexit process. It controls the most important options available to Theresa May, including her hopes of making a deal with her Labour opponents.

Labour knows that another kind of “No deal” pressure – its ability to walk away from these cross-party talks – has fallen into its hands. And it is as plain as daylight that Mrs May no longer controls the Conservative Party. Yet those to whom her control has been passed are uncertain what to do with it. There is an existential crisis in the Labour Party as well as among Tories, and there is also an existential crisis in the European Union itself. Elections to a new European Parliament are due in May, followed by the appointment of a new European Commission and a new President. There are fundamental political battles in each EU country to be fought.

Get Instant Access

Continue Reading

Register for free to read this article in full

REGISTER

Subscribe for unlimited access

SUBSCRIBE NOW

From just £37.50 quarterly

  Print copy of The Tablet delivered directly to your door.
  Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
  Access to the weekly digital copy of The Tablet.
  Full access to The Tablet’s archive – over 180 years of back issues.

Already a subscriber? Login