Brexit - the committee designs a camel

THERESA May is trying to give the impression of positive movement on Brexit negotiations. However, the UK prime minister is beset by so many problems that she cannot have had time to wrap her Christmas presents. No sympathy from this correspondent because she called an election she didn't need, fudged it because she wouldn't listen to her party, and has let the Marxist Jeremy Corbyn - written off as a joke, even within his own party - become an actual political figure.

Mrs May's only chance of redemption in the near future (and maybe the UK's only chance, because we really do not want a terrorist sympathiser in charge of the world's sixth-largest economy) is to lead the UK into success in the Brexit negotiations.

These talks have been going on for what seems like years and most people do not understand them. The UK electorate voted to "leave" the European Union and this decision was formally delivered in March 2017, triggering a 24-month process of designing the future relationship between the EU and the UK.