Ahead of what is being seen as a crucial week for the Brexit negotiations, it is clear that nerves on the British side are becoming increasingly frayed, with Theresa May's troubles growing by the hour.
The prime minister is in a profoundly difficult position and it is far from certain that she will get through this fraught period and deliver a deal that can command the support of Parliament.
Theresa May is used to being assailed from the Brexiteers in her deeply divided party, but the pressure moved up a gear yesterday with former Brexit secretary David Davis, who resigned over the Chequers plan, calling for a Cabinet rebellion this week against the prime minister's strategy.
Advocating mutiny is a serious step although there will be some cynicism at the suggestion that Mr Davis could take over from Mrs May and be installed as interim prime minister to ensure a hard Brexit.
The heat is definitely on Mrs May with speculation that a number of senior party figures are prepared to resign over the Northern Ireland backstop and its implications.
To avoid a hard border, the EU is proposing Northern Ireland remains in the single market, which has been firmly rejected by the DUP.
Mrs May's alternative is for a temporary customs arrangement for the UK as a whole but Tory Brexiteers fear this would become an open-ended position that would prevent free trade deals around the world.
To add to Mrs May's woes, the Tory leader in Scotland, Ruth Davidson and Scottish secretary David Mundell have warned they could quit their roles if Northern Ireland is treated differently from the rest of the UK as they fear that could fuel the case for Scottish independence.
It is also apparent the confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP is starting to fall apart, although that may be the least of the prime minister's worries in this crucial week.
The DUP's increasing alarm at what could be agreed is becoming all too obvious, with Arlene Foster at the weekend urging Mrs May not to accept a 'dodgy deal'.
And according to a private email exchange between senior UK officials, seen by the Observer, Mrs Foster has indicated her party was 'ready for a no-deal scenario, which she now believed was the likeliest one.'
A no-deal Brexit would be disastrous for Northern Ireland as would any deal that ensures a hard border on this island.
Mrs Foster is worried about the break-up of the Union, but what beggars belief is that the DUP campaigned to leave the EU without fully considering the repercussions.
Having taken us down this path, the DUP needs to recognise that the EU is offering a deal that best protects the interests of Northern Ireland.
