Brexit Britain needs Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel knows her history. Her trilogy of novels on the life of Thomas Cromwell made that clear. Those dazzlingly successful books brought Tudor history to life in all its monstrous glory. So it’s a tad surprising that Ms Mantel appears not to understand the history of the European Union. This brilliant mind seems to think this political body, which has only been in existence since 1992, is synonymous with Europe itself, which has been around for a fair bit longer than that.

Ms Mantel has got diehard Remainers hot under the collar with comments she made in an interview with La Repubblica. She slammed Brexit as the handiwork of politicians who are ‘callow opportunists, insincere and devious, and often ridiculous’. As for Boris Johnson — he ‘should not be in public life’. She says she ‘feels ashamed, of course’ — why, of course! — to live in a country that elected Boris as PM.