James Forsyth James Forsyth

The losing game

When it comes to the next election, the question won’t be which party takes a hit — but which comes off worse

issue 06 April 2019

Iraq, the financial crisis, the expenses scandal — all of these undermined trust in politicians. They created an impression of a governing class that was devious, inept and venal. But the damage they did to public faith in politics is nothing compared with the damage that will be done by a failure to deliver Brexit.

Brexit is the result not just of a referendum but of two general elections. The Tories would not have won a majority in 2015 without their pledge to hold a referendum on Britain’s EU membership. In 2017, Labour wouldn’t have been able to deny the Tories a majority if they had not been committed to respecting the result of that referendum.

Yet Brexit is now in danger of being cancelled altogether. MPs would vote to revoke Article 50  completely if they believed that the alternative was no deal — so if you don’t want that to happen, a way forward has to be found.

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