[1][2] Charles began proceedings by withdrawing his declarations against Parliament but also insisted that no concessions he made should be valid until a complete scheme of settlement should be arranged; this led to an air of unreality from the beginning.
[3] This is heightened by the fact that Charles secretly sent word to James Butler, 1st Marquis of Ormond not to abide by any settlement reached at Newport.
Henry Vane the Younger led a faction that represented a more moderate, Independent interest, and though they were by no means radical, they acted to secure a settlement which would guarantee the rights gained by Parliament in the Puritan Revolution.
[4] Presbyterian and Middle Group MPs were prepared to continue negotiating with Charles in order to reach a permanent settlement.
However, Army radicals had lost patience with him and grew angry when Parliament appeared willing to allow him to come to London to complete the settlement and Vane and Henry Ireton decided to return Charles to Hurst Castle on the mainland.