“Brexit means Brexit,” Theresa May said in July 2016 when she replaced David Cameron as Britain’s prime minister. Since then, May has continued to insist that Brexit will mean Brexit, but without offering even a taste of what Brexit means. Would it be a “hard Brexit,” cutting Britain off entirely from Europe’s markets? Or would it be a “soft Brexit,” in which Britain regained control of its borders and parliamentary sovereignty, while retaining membership in the single European market?

As of January 17, we know that May meant what she said. Speaking at Lancaster House in London, the prime minister laid out a 12-point program for the restoration of Britain’s sovereignty. “The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union,” she said. “My job is to get the right deal for Britain as we do.” Her plan amounts to a soft path to a hard Brexit. How hard is up to the other 27 states of the EU.