Gold Silver Reports (GSR) – Theresa May will face questions on her strategy @ 3 public and private meetings on Wednesday. She wants to wrap up talks with the opposition LabourParty on a compromise Brexit-Solution next-week, according to a person familiar with her thinking. Channel Four reports that she’s about to offer Labour pretty much everything it wants to get a deal done.
But the risks for Labour in signing off on a Conservative Brexit are high and many on her own side are watching out for signs she is capitulating further on her red lines.
Added to this is the threat of Thursday’s local elections and the EU poll later in May. The Conservatives are facing a drubbing in the former and haven’t even launched their campaign for elections to the European Parliament: They know it will be all but impossible to compete with Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party unless they can plausibly argue that the divorce will soon be delivered.
May’s only remaining move may be to try and get Britain as close to leaving the EU as possible by polling day on May 23, hope her party does better than the 13 percent support seen in YouGov’s latest poll, and make sure Farage’s candidates never take their seats.
Brexit in Brief
Going Bust | The number of companies in England and Wales unable to pay debts rose by 6 percent in the first quarter, government figures published Tuesday showed. In an illustration of the damage Brexit uncertainty is inflicting on corporates, insolvencies also rose.
Turnout Worries | Close to eight million eligible voters are not registered ahead of the EU elections later in May, according to research commissioned by Best for Britain.
Discrepancies are particularly large among EU citizens, private renters and young people, according to the study. Pollster John Curtice will be talking about the elections at an event this morning organized by The UK in a Changing Europe.
