Theresa May has written to all Conservative MPs trying to explain her decision to beg Jeremy Corbyn for help in passing a deal, a move that will almost certainly lead to a customs union and regulatory alignment with the EU, killing off the biggest benefits of Brexit.

“With some colleagues unwilling to support the Government in the division lobbies this is the only way to deliver the smooth, orderly Brexit that we promised and for which the British people voted.”

As Guido warned, Theresa May will never allow No Deal to happen. Voting against the deal has led to a situation where we face an even weaker Brexit, taking more rules from Brussels. Which is why Guido argued MPs should take the least bad bad option last month…

Read the full letter here:

Dear colleague,

As you know, the House of Commons has now rejected the Government’s Brett deal three times. The process that the House has led has not come up with an answer either. This impasse cannot go on. It is putting Members of Parliament under immense pressure and it is doing damage to faith in our politics. We have to deliver the smooth, orderly Brett that we promised and for which the British people voted.

I know some of you would like us to leave without a deal on 12 April. I have always been clear that we could make a success of leaving with no deal in the long term. But leaving with a deal is the best solution — for our economy, our security, and for our Union, particularly when Northern Ireland is without devolved government. That is why, yesterday, Cabinet decided that we will need a thither extension of Article 50 — one that is as short as possible and which we can bring to an end as soon as Parliament ratifies the deal for our departure.

The question is how can we get Parliament to ratify the deal? The Government would have preferred to do so based on Conservative and DUP votes. But, having tried three times, it is clear that is unlikely to happen.

So yesterday we agreed to take action to break the logjam. I offered to sit down with the Leader of the Opposition to try to agree a plan to ensure that we leave the European Union and that we do so with a deal. If we cannot agree something which the Government is satisfied delivers on the result of the referendum, we will try to agree a number of options that we could put to the House in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue. We stand ready to abide by the decision of the House, but to make this process work the Opposition would need to agree to this too.

The other element of any deal will need to be a timetable for the Withdrawal Agreement Bill which ensures it receives Royal Assent before 22 May, allowing us to ratify the deal and not have to hold elections to the European Parliament.

I realise some of you will be concerned about the Government discussing the way forward with the Opposition. However, with some colleagues unwilling to support the Government in the division lobbies this is the only way to deliver the smooth, orderly Brexit that we promised and for which the British people voted.

With best wishes,

Theresa May