Portrait of the week | 14 February 2019

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Theresa May, the Prime Minister, returned from a trip to Brussels and Dublin and hurried to the Commons to ask for more time to do something or other about the Irish backstop. The much-kicked Brexit can was expected to land in the parliamentary road again on 27 February, though the government envisaged no ‘meaningful vote’ until March. Oliver Robbins, Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator, was overheard in a bar saying that the choice might be between Mrs May’s deal or a delay to Brexit, to which the EU would agree. Brexit had taken an eschatological turn after Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, said at a press conference: ‘By the way, I have been wondering what the special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.’ Labour advocated a customs union for the whole of the United Kingdom. Replying in a letter, May said that the draft political declaration ‘explicitly provides for the benefits of a customs union’. The new Brexit party, supported by Nigel Farage, was recognised by the Electoral Commission.

Racing was cancelled for six days, with the discovery of ten cases of equine flu, including four at Newmarket, where 3,000 horses are in training. The High Court lifted an injunction against the Daily Telegraph reporting allegations (which he denies) of sexual and racial abuse and bullying against Sir Philip Green, made by five employees who had signed non-disclosure agreements. Brendan McCarthy, who practised under the name Dr Evil, pleaded guilty on three charges of grievous bodily harm for body-modifications such as tongue-splitting, even though his clients had given consent.

Britain’s gross domestic product grew by only 0.2 per cent in the last quarter of 2018, bringing growth for 2018 to 1.4