May’s Defeat

Coming on top of her perceived success the week before, the misjudgments by Tory Party managers which led to last night’s game changer, are par for the course of this ill starred administration. It will take some of the shine off May as she appears in Brussels today, as will the ill judged comments of the Brexit Secretary earlier, that the agreement she signed held no legal force and could, and might, be abandoned.

This is all symptomatic of the truth now dawning that Brexit, in the terms in which it was offered and for which a mandate is claimed, was never available and cannot be delivered. It underscores the fact that any form of hard Brexit would never get through Parliament and that in a true democracy voters should be given a second chance and have the right to change their minds. In truth it would save endless argument, time and worry, which is already blighting people’s lives and damaging the economy, to ask for the Article 50 letter to be returned, so that we can get on with a future which is real, available and good for everyone.