Off the Record

Never mind Big Ben’s bongs for Brexit - the real competition for marking the UK’s departure from the EU has been played out at the White Cliffs of Dover.

It’s been dubbed the battle of the banners, pitching remainers against Brexiteers.

In the yellow corner, the Lib Dem South East MEP Antony Hook; in the blue corner Tory MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke.

First to seize the initiative was Antony Hook, who came up with a neat PR stunt involving draping a banner which declared that the UK still loved the EU. Inconvenient facts like the inability for anyone across the Channel to see it, along with the problematic issue that the banner had to be laid out flat rather than put up, were ignored.

Not to be outdone, Natalie Elphicke declared her plans for a rival banner to be beamed onto the cliffs with the slogan “We Love The UK.”

There’s been no sight of this particular banner, so it’s round one to the Lib Dems.

What will the Liberal Democrats do with their banner? There has been some suggestion that it might go on tour, although we suspect that might have rather limited appeal. The other question relates to how much it cost with the price tag of £5,000. Even given that it is apparently the size of two squash courts,

What will our MEPs do now they are out of a job? The Conservative Dan Hannan says his first priority will be to get a puppy - something he has wanted to do for years but couldn't while dividing his time between Brussels and Strasbourg. He says he won’t need much to persuade his family to agree.