Robert Peston Robert Peston

May’s bid to forge a Brexit deal with Corbyn is about to implode

There were no political decisions of any substance taken over Easter. The PM, ministers, all politicians were seemingly too exhausted to do anything but roll the Brexit egg down the hill.

So all the political news is about process, after the Cabinet and shadow cabinet made no Brexit decisions on Tuesday, and the 1922 Committee (guardian of Tory party rules) could not agree whether to expedite a new procedure to evict Theresa May.

The four bits of newsy stuff I have collected for you are:

1) There will be an emergency meeting of Labour’s National Executive Committee on Tuesday to decide whether the party’s manifesto for the European Elections will contain a commitment that any Brexit deal should be put to a “confirmatory” referendum. Those pushing for the referendum – much of the parliamentary party, the giant GMB and Unison trade unions, MEPs – think they have the numbers, but they are NOT confident. It will be a huge moment.

2) The Tory 1922 Committee will decide on Wednesday afternoon whether to change party rules to permit an imminent vote of no confidence in the PM. Its decision will probably be disclosed to Tory MPs shortly afterwards, at the normal ‘22 gathering of all Tory MPs. Opinion on the ‘22 executive is split on whether to in effect allow leadership elections every few months rather than once a year at most – since this would destabilise May’s successor. But apparently there is a consensus May should resign at the end of May. I am told the ‘22 chairman Sir Graham Brady sees signs she may volunteer to quit on that kind of timescale. If he’s right, and if that is what she says one of these days, that will be another non-trivial moment.

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