Theresa May’s Brexit plans have been put back on track today with the news that her cabinet has backed her for at least another 36 hours.
With rumours of mass resignations before this morning’s meeting at Number 10, May emerged triumphant after calling for unity from her colleagues, now safe in the knowledge that she won’t face a leadership challenge until Thursday morning at the earliest.
May goes into a crucial EU summit tomorrow evening, her negotiating hand now strengthened after asking her ministers to stand firm and stand together, and to please, please, please not bring the government down for another day or so if they could possibly help it.
One minister is quoted as saying, “We stand behind the Prime Minister – she has our full support for her plans for Brexit for another 36 hours.”
Another gave even stronger support, saying, “I now don’t plan to resign until Friday at the earliest – she has my full support until then. Though after that we will rip her to shreds.”
With an EU negotiating team whose position hasn’t changed since before the referendum, a minority government propped up by an extremist party who oppose any deal on offer, attacks from both wings of her own party and a set of completely contradictory self-imposed red lines, May hopes to build on this morning’s success and cling to power well into next week.