Theresa May has turned the awkward boogie-woogie tap-dance of her pan-African dancing adventure into a violent and comprehensive stomping on proposals for a second referendum on the Brexit deal.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph yesterday, May said she would not "give in to those who want to re-open the whole question with a second referendum", and promised to "fulfil the democratic decision of the British people by ensuring that the UK leaves the European Union".

"In the Summer of 2016, millions came out to have their say. In many cases for the first time in decades, they trusted that their vote would count; that after years of feeling ignored by politics, their voices would be heard. To ask the question all over again would be a gross betrayal of our democracy – and a betrayal of that trust."

Calls for a second referendum have grown since the launch of the People's Vote campaign, which has drawn support from the likes of Gary Lineker, among others.

That ramps up the pressure on May's my-deal-or-no-deal gambit significantly, and May's team know it. The Sunday Times reports that the prime minister's team has discussed with civil servants the possibility of a snap election, should her Brexit deal be voted down in Parliament.

Given that Boris Johnson has described the deal as "impossible" and that May's government entered negotiations "with the white flag fluttering", and Tory MP Nick Boles' suggestion that the country faces "humiliation" under the terms of the Chequers deal, it's not inconceivable that May could be toppled.