Shropshire Star comment: Could PM’s deal be the only way?
As unpalatable as it is to many people, Theresa May’s Brexit deal looks increasingly like the UK’s only realistic chance of leaving the EU.
Yes, it has more holes in it than a colander, and would result in a relationship with Brussels that is far too close for many of those who voted to leave the bloc back in June 2016.
But the options have been gradually whittled down until the choice is to accept Mrs May’s deal – or to have no Brexit at all.
By seizing control of the parliamentary timetable, our politicians have allowed themselves to pore over a range of what are seen by many as “softer” options, most of which will undoubtedly spark anger among a large number of the 17.4 million people who voted to leave the EU.
With no deal effectively off the table, the country could well be faced with the prospect of staying in a customs union, a Norway-plus style “softer” Brexit, or – perhaps most controversially of all – a second referendum.
It is in this context that Brexiteers such as Jacob Rees-Mogg and Michael Fabricant are now reluctantly considering backing the Prime Minister’s deal.
The public has been forced to sit back and watch as MPs have gradually ground down a splintered Government that has proved itself to be incapable of guiding us out of the EU.
For those in the Remain camp, the extraordinary developments of recent days will be a source of relief, of hope even. But for those on the other side of the argument, this will be seen as a House of Commons, heavily stacked in favour of Remain, sensing a real opportunity to thwart Brexit.
As far as Mrs May is concerned, the main stumbling block to getting her deal through the Commons remains the DUP.
While there is now a possibility that a significant number of Brexiteers will support Mrs May at the next meaningful vote, as well as a few more Labour MPs, the Prime Minister needs the backing of the unionists if her deal is to stand any chance of success.
And as things stand, DUP leader Arlene Foster is not for budging.
Of all the disasters that have followed Mrs May’s reckless 2017 General Election gamble, getting into bed with the unionists could turn out to have the most far-reaching consequences.
