The end of Brexit Britain

‘Brexit means Brexit’ may have been the most gormless slogan ever uttered by a British politician – a species not previous famed for its gorm.

But you knew what Theresa May meant. Legitimacy in Britain flowed from the Brexit referendum. Parliament could not question it. Judges were ‘enemies of the people’ when they even discussed it. You could say that the Leave campaign had won by telling outrageous lies. You could say that leaving the single market would cause needless damage to jobs and living standards. No matter. The referendum result stood, and could not be gainsaid.

The Tory right in particular dismissed all objections. Seventeen million voted against immigration, so we had to abandon the single market and freedom of movement. Try as we might, those of us who thought the country was about to engage in an act of needless self-harm had no way out. Brexit meant Brexit and Theresa May controlled the definitions.