FROM the moment she was appointed Prime Minister, Theresa May has performed a delicate balancing act with regard to Brexit.

By talking tough over Britain’s desire to leave the Customs Union and consistently ruling out a second referendum over the terms of EU withdrawal, she has just about managed to appease the Brexiteers within the Conservative party.

By agreeing to talks over an amendment that would give MPs an effective veto over the Brexit deal that is agreed with the EU, Mrs May was able to woo the Remain-backing rebels within her party and ward off the threat of an embarrassing defeat in the House of Commons last month.

It has always been an uneasy truce, and deep down, Mrs May must have known it was not going to last. On Friday, it is imperative she begins to display some true leadership and decides which way she wants to jump.

When the Cabinet meets for a crunch Brexit summit at Chequers at the end of this week, another fudged settlement that fails to clear up anything will suit no one.

It will further infuriate EU negotiators, who are desperate for the UK to come up with a coherent negotiating position, and will do little to begin to heal the wounds that are tearing the Conservative party apart.

Most importantly of all, it will also deny the British public, not to mention British businesses, the kind of clarity they crave. At the moment, we all feel as if we are in the dark when it comes to what a post-Brexit future will look like. That might suit Mrs May’s personal political ambitions, but it is no way to run a country.