Moral fibre.

Now, I think it is fair to say that I don’t think Mr May is the sharpest tool in the box when it comes to negotiations. 

But at the end of the day I will happily admit that I am wrong if she pulls off the deal with the EU.  But she does come across as more Civil Service then entrepreneurial for a start.   

But while she doesn’t appear to have the acumen of being a leader and negotiator, she does have one thing that is a big plus.  The one thing Mrs May does have is moral fibre.   

Early on in the conversations with the EU she explicitly said that EU citizens could stay here.  No if’s, no but’s.  And there are to be generous rules in place for people who had moved here from EU nations in recent days.   

Of course, some Remainers said that didn’t go far enough.  And they heaped criticism on Mrs May for not effectively signing a blank cheque in relation to people coming from the EU.   

Perhaps all those who were critical of Mrs May might have a listen to what the president of La cinquième république, their new best friend, has had to say in the last few days.  Mr Macron’s government has proposed that if the UK leaves the EU without a deal in place with the European Union, UK citizens living in la république will instantly be deemed illegal immigrants.  

This approach from the French government is all the more remarkable given that Mrs May, even in the insult filled air of the Salzburg summit, reminded the assembled leaders of the EU that the UK would explicitly guarantee the rights of the EU nationals living in the UK. .   

She might not be as sharp an economist or negotiator as we may wish for.  But on this one, she’s right on the money.  And we should give her the praise for such a principled stance.