Let’s be clear. If the Cabinet supports the Prime Minister’s proposed deal today, and they somehow manage to whip Parliament into allowing it to proceed, then a whole raft of irreversible consequences will flow from it.
This will begin the breakup of the United Kingdom, not just isolating Northern Ireland, but also undermining the Unionist cause in Scotland. The so called backstop will not actually be a backstop at all but a foundation for EU ambition to constrain our opportunities and limit our competitiveness. In Brussels they admit this privately.
This deal will contrive to make the Customs Union inescapable forever and effectively trap the UK to perpetual domination from Brussels. The supposed negotiation over the future economic partnership will be deliberately slowed down to take years. The UK's leverage of the £39 billion payment will be squandered.
The British people voted to take back control over borders, laws and money. If this deal is agreed it will be seen as a betrayal of the referendum result. The British people will lose faith in their political leadership and the democratic consequences will be dire.
It will be a sad day indeed if the Cabinet fail to recognise their responsibility today and flinch from taking control of this process and demanding proper delivery on the referendum.