It’s time to think the unthinkable on Brexit

Make no mistake, Britain is on the brink. This week Parliament will re-start the debate on the Prime Minister’s Brexit Deal, having lost a month. In all likelihood, the House of Commons will vote down a deal that deserves to be defeated. Parliament is deadlocked. Our country is bitterly divided. It is no exaggeration to say we face the greatest political and constitutional emergency we’ve had in peacetime. This is not in response to any external threat or challenge. The tragedy is we have done this to ourselves. But, because of that, we can step back from the brink. It doesn’t have to be like this. There is still time to change course.

To solve any problem, you need to understand how it came about. So first, let’s be clear about how we arrived at a deal which satisfies neither Leavers nor Remainers Second, now we know what is negotiable with the EU, let’s take a dispassionate view of forms of Brexit that have been presented to us.