Damian Hinds: Raise the quality of technical education, and parity of esteem will naturally follow

It is utterly confusing to provide 12,000 course options at Level 3 or below. The system must be reformed.

Daniel Hannan: What is driving this chaos? I’ll tell you. The EU is determined to punish us.

In English, Barnier said: “I’ll have done my job if, in the end, the deal is so tough on the British that they’d prefer to stay in the EU”.

Kieron O’Hara: No more referendums, please – they don’t work. A second would be no better than the first.

Indeed, it would be best to pause Brexit altogether until the parties have worked out what they want – and put it to voters in a general election.

Jonathan Clark: Brexit has reopened two constitutional conflicts which must be resolved

Does authority reside with Parliament or the People? And are MPs representatives or delegates? Both must be answered.

Greg Hands: Remaining in a customs union beyond 2020 would be unacceptable to many Conservative MPs – and here’s why

Some will ask “Trump versus China: where does the UK stand?” The answer will be: “Ask Brussels – as the UK isn’t allowed to have a trade policy of its own”.

Daniel Hannan: It should be obvious, not controversial, to seek a deep friendship with our EU neighbours

In the third piece in our mini-series evaluating the EEA, our columnist wonders how both sides managed to become so hostile to moderate concepts.

Brexiteer frog at boiling point

What may count most today is not whether the water simmers over, but whether his temper and patience do instead – or first.

WATCH: As the Chequers summit looms, Hannan says we need a Swiss-style solution

“Showing a combination of angry rhetoric and then irresolution in the talks has been the worst possible combination.”

Henry Newman: Yes, we have proposed a voluntary managed alignment in goods. But direct ECJ jurisdiction must end.

Either a new dispute resolution mechanism will be required, or the UK could dock into part of the EFTA court to resolve disputes over goods.

John Stevenson, Jeremy Lefroy and Paul Masterton: There’s a better way for the Government on Europe – joining EFTA

Within EFTA, there are already two models of relationship with the EU – the EEA and the Swiss model. There is no reason why there could not be a third.

Peter Lilley: Sovereignty or prosperity? It’s a false choice. They go hand in hand.

Not being able to blame Brussels for our problems nor look to the EU for solutions will be immensely reinvigorating.

J.P.Floru: In defence of tax havens. May’s threat to the British Overseas Territories is un-Conservative.

Do we really want them either to declare independence, or else become benefit claimants, funded by British taxpayers?

The risks to May if she backs off leaving the Customs Union

“I’m not saying that there would be an organised push, but the letters would just go in to Graham Brady,” one senior pro-Leave backbencher told this site yesterday.

Henry Newman: Even if the Government concedes on an EU customs union, membership of it looks unsustainable. Here’s why.

Can we really imagine ministers rejecting Justin Trudeau’s trade deal offer, or one from the American administration, or from Australia and New Zealand?

Simon Clarke: A greener City of London will outpace Paris and Frankfurt after Brexit

The Government should back the fastest growing sector of the economy, demand transparency and send clear policy signals.