Brace, Brace: Theresa May Has Gone On A Walking Holiday In Wales

But don't panic about an election just yet.
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Fatigued voters may want to look away now – because Theresa May has gone on another walking holiday to Wales.

The last time the prime minister took a ramble in the Welsh countryside, she decided to call a snap general election.

However Downing St was quick to stress that May is not considering calling another one.

Her decision to call the 2017 snap election, while rambling through Snowdonia at Easter, had disastrous consequences for her government.

And despite spending nearly two years suffering the consequences of losing the Tories’ parliamentary majority, including the exhausting Commons deadlock over Brexit, May has decided to recreate that fateful holiday.

But asked if she was considering calling an election to break the impass, the PM’s official spokesman simply told reporters: “No.”

Prime Minister Theresa May walks in a forest with her husband Philip at the start of a summer holiday in the Alps in Switzerland
Prime Minister Theresa May walks in a forest with her husband Philip at the start of a summer holiday in the Alps in Switzerland
PA Archive/PA Images

May travelled to Wales with her husband Philip on Saturday and is due to return on Thursday, in time for Easter weekend.

But any hope that she could return to a conclusion of Brexit negotiations between the government and Labour, designed to break the impasse in parliament, appeared forlorn.

With May in Wales and Corbyn shooting a bow and arrow and sitting in a canoe at a Halifax activity centre for teenagers, senior cabinet ministers and their shadows are due to resume talks.

But no negotiations are scheduled for Monday and Number 10 was unable to say exactly when they will restart.

Time is running out for May to achieve her goal of striking a deal with Labour, winning a meaningful Commons vote on the subsequent Brexit deal, and passing the necessary legislation to ratify the withdrawal agreement by the May 22 deadline for taking part in European elections.

With MPs on Commons recess for Easter, she will have less than four weeks of parliamentary time from next Tuesday to get it all done.

One government source blamed Labour for dragging its feet: “The time pressure is less on their side.

“They seem totally relaxed about European elections.”

When talks get underway again, they will be broken into the following working groups:

Business Secretary Greg Clark and his Labour shadow Rebecca Long-Bailey on services, consumer and workers rights.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove and his shadow Sue Hayman on environmental protections.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and his shadow Sir Keir Starmer on security.

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