The hexagonal negotiating table.

[Workingman]

May sits opposite Dominic Grieve and a few lightweight Remainers and they agree on the wonderfulness of pressing ahead with Chequers.

Johnson and Davis sit opposite Rees-Mogg, Leadsome and other hardline Breiteers and they agree that Chequers is "deranged" and they must push ahead with their already refused proto plan.

Barnier and Junkers sit opposite some empty chairs twiddling their thumbs and shuffling papers.

Meanwhile the clock on the wall tick-tocks away.

[cromwell]

May has refused to rule out more concessions, now there's a shock.

I have no idea what is going to happen and I don't think anybody else has, unless a secret deal has already been agreed.

Whatever the final proposal it has to get through parliament; and as Labour have said that they'll vote against any deal that doesn't meet their six criteria, nothing looks likely to pass.

This idea that Labour block any deal therefore May has to go back to the EU and ask for a deal which Labour like and the EU then agree to - I can't see it. I know Corbyn was in Brussels recently, was he telling the EU what Labour would like?

Oh what a tangled web, in more ways than one.

[TheOstrich]

…... unless a secret deal has already been agreed.

D'you know, that wouldn't suprise me. Politicians are all about hot air and posturing.

[Suff]

Meanwhile prudent steps for a no deal exit are going into high gear.

Juncker and Barnier can twiddle their thumbs. They created this situation by only offering things which they knew the UK could never accept and refusing anything they did not want to accept.

All sides need to stand up here and take the blame. But the point is this, what blame is it? Namely not telling the people, honestly, that a deal was probably impossible unless one side or the other gave up enough to get them ejected from government.

That was the truth from day 1. The rest has just been a show.