Brexit: How May got cabinet onside over extra billions

Just imagine if the PM had not managed to get the cabinet onside. If she had failed to get agreement that she can dangle many hypothetical extra billions to the rest of the EU, albeit with plenty of strings attached.

That would have been a very difficult political situation, the PM left in the lurch by her Brexiteer cabinet ministers, unwilling to let her carry on inching towards a deal.

Much though is not settled. Not the final numbers, nor the eventual role of the European courts, nor indeed the biggest question of all, what relationship does the cabinet want, from our longer term relationship with the rest of the continent.

But as Theresa May has found again and again, persuading her cabinet ministers to agree anything on Brexit is a painfully slow process. To get this far has already taken time and significant political energy.

She, and the firmness of the EU's position, has meant that Brexiteer ministers have moved over time, accepting the need for an implementation period, accepting that there will have to be a significant amount of cash to settle our accounts - tens of billions rather than a Brexit bonus of money coming quickly back.

She can however only put off the big conversation for so long. And it's not clear how she will answer the other questions the EU demanded responses to last week.

For the prime minister each agonising Brexit decision quickly gives way to the next set of demands.

P.S. Over the coming hours a fuller picture of what really happened in the meeting may emerge. So far ministers are being tight-lipped but watch this space.