From downstairs:

re: #380 freetoken

It appears as if the EU still wants a soft transition and will offer the UK a long extension. But May wants a short extension of course, so she can pretend to be listening to those who want to leave the EU. If she agrees to a one year delay the Brexiteers will riot.

I genuinely don’t believe it’s about protecting the party when it comes to May, it’s about preserving her “legacy” as the woman who oversaw a successful Brexit. It’s why she’s insisted on remaining as PM despite successive failures that would have forced any other PM to bow out.