Theresa May’s latest talks with the EU have been a disaster. Instead of changing their agreement to make it easier for her to win support from Parliament, the EU27 countries have removed elements that would have helped.

A phrase that the EU “stands ready to examine whether any further assurance can be provided” on the Irish border backstop has been snipped.

And wording that the backstop would not be “a desirable outcome” was also cut from the text.

So the EU is now not happy to offer any further help on the border backstop – because it now sees it as desirable? That is the obvious inference.

And there will be no more negotiation, according to the EU27:

Apart from that, it was all about language. Paul Mason reckons Mrs May got “handbagged”:

Then there’s the apparent row between Mrs May and Jean-Claude Juncker over his description of her argument as “nebulous”…

She seems to be demanding to know why he described her in that way. Well, let’s consider what she actually said:

We can only conclude that there is no more room in which Mrs May can wriggle (what a horrible thought). But she refuses to re-schedule the “meaningful vote” on her deal, in Parliament, for next week.

Instead, it will happen some time in January. And nobody is happy about it.

In a press release, Mr Corbyn added: “People and businesses need certainty. The Prime Minister should put her deal before Parliament next week in our country’s interest.

“She has admitted her deal is likely to be defeated by a significant margin. There is no time to waste, and parliament must take back control.”

In the midst of all this, it’s perfectly reasonable for some people to ask what Labour can negotiate that the Conservatives can.

The logical argument is that a Tory Brexit is organised on Conservative priorities, whereas a Labour Brexit would be different:

The longer Mrs May delays, the less likely it is that we can get a useful deal with Europe. She is deliberately endangering the prosperity of the entire country for the sake of her own pride.

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