Brussels ‘leverage’ leak makes life even more difficult for Theresa May

It’s crunch day – yes, really this time – for Theresa May. After spending the evening in one-on-one meetings with a select few cabinet ministers, this afternoon the Prime Minister will chair a special cabinet meeting – where she will seek approval for her proposed deal. The devil will be in the detail – but for some the detail is neither here nor there with the European Research Group quick to see red ahead of reading the document. Last night, Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested on Newsnight that he could be forced to withdraw his support for the Prime Minister.

Not helping matters is a Brussels leak that makes its ways into the Times and FT. Brussels negotiator Sabine Weyand has told EU ambassadors that the ‘temporary’ backstop may not be so temporary. She has suggested the temporary customs union which forms the basis of the UK-wide backstop will form the basis for the long-term – permanent – relationship.