Irish backstop

Notorious “backstop” would give 88 countries that have EU trade deals access to our market without us having access to theirs.

PM says bill is £39bn. But add in perhaps two more years “transition” and various costs identified by NAO and the bill could be much higher.

With a Johnson brother denouncing her deal from either wing of her party, and a revolt brewing in Cabinet, May’s Brexit seems impossible.

It could change calculations of key players - MPs, ministers, media, voters and our EU partners - and pave the way for a People’s Vote.

Leaked letter has given game away on Irish backstop. But DUP are not fools. How can they trust May’s assurances now?

PM could agree regulatory “level playing field” with EU to break deadlock. Ministers want to see legal advice, and Labour want it published.

PM’s plan needs regulatory level playing field to stop unfair competition. Brexiters will ask what’s the point if we keep EU rules. Indeed.

PM’s tactics are to bounce ministers to back her half-baked deal by going big on catastrophic, but unlikely, costs of leaving with no deal.

We’ll certainly need a longer transition to avoid an abyss in two years. But it won’t solve Irish border problem and will cost us dear.

Hard Brexiters are over-excited that the EU is calling for a Canada+++ deal. It only works if they sell Northern Ireland down the river.

Irish question is going to require further blurring of red lines. Will the DUP accept this? If there’s no deal, we’ll be even more stuck.

PM has picked a fight with the EU over the Irish backstop. But it’s her own catalogue of errors that has got us into this mess.