“I will vote for the motion. I will do so without prejudice to my position on the Section 13 Meaningful Vote, to achieve two essential outcomes. To stave off a longer extension and prevent European Elections in May, and I hope the Government can more vigorously pursue the reassurances we need on the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration to make the deal more acceptable to this House.”

He tweeted out the following explanation:

I spoke today in the latest Brexit debate. We need to proceed with realism. The choice now is between the risk of the EU trapping us in the Backstop for a period, and a significant risk of losing Brexit altogether. Neither are palatable. On that basis, I will vote for today’s motion: – to stave off a longer extension and prevent MEP elections being held in the UK – in the hope that the Government can more vigorously pursue the reassurances required to make this deal acceptable. This is without prejudice to my position on the third Meaningful Vote which will have to return to the House of Commons – the government will have time before then to secure those reassurances.

There was a market in the Tory membership for a no compromise leadership candidate, clearly Raab calculated that there was no such opportunity in the parliamnetary party that chooses the two candidates. He might be right, however what is his leadership USP now?