Be prepared.

This morning it was being reported that the Prime Minister said the Northern Ireland backstop would not be “automatic” and that she was considering giving MPs a say on whether it came in.   

On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: she said: “The backstop is talked about as if it’s automatic.  Actually it is not automatic – there is a choice.”   

Well, that was news to the EU.  And they didn’t like it.  “We hope they're not going to try this because it's the same as ripping up the withdrawal agreement.”  Pretty emphatic response one could say.   

So it’s possible we may not have a deal.   

But let’s not panic.  Mrs May and her team have had 2½ years to prepare for leaving without a deal with the EU in place as it was always a possibility.  And as we already have a deal in place with WTO, all the things that will need to be done to tidy up details with the EU will have been done.  Won’t they? 

If not, what exactly have they been doing for these last 30 months?