Time to make this Parliament history

HE got his Brexit deal. He got an unlikely majority for it in the Remain-dominated Commons. Now, it seems, Boris Johnson is about to get his General Election.

True, it’s not exactly on his terms. Assuming all goes to plan today, the Liberal Democrats and SNP will support a short Bill clearing the way for a December poll.

As payback f or this Christmas gift however, they will insist he shelves his Withdrawal Agreement Bill. Crucially, this means he will go to the country having failed in his promise to deliver Brexit by October 31. But it’s a gamble he has to take. Right now the PM is in a strong position, polling at least ten points ahead of Labour – fully 16 points in one recent survey. Allowing this moribund Parliament to limp along indefinitely could weaken him immeasurably.

There are serious risks. The polls are volatile and the Lib Dems are resurgent – making them a real threat i n Tory marginals. But Mr Johnson’s trump card may be Jeremy Corbyn. His initial electoral lustre has long since tarnished, and his Brexit policy is utterly incomprehensible.

By contrast, Boris is a proven vote-winner and, despite being preposterously painted as an extreme Right- winger by his opponents, he is the very model of a OneNation Tory. His first priority is to heal the divisions Brexit has created in his own party. He needs every vote he can get – from Remainers as well as Brexiteers. But he has the charm to woo them. And he has a unique prospectus.

He alone offers a tailor-made withdrawal deal, approved by both Brussels and the Commons. He alone can finally get Britain on the move again.

The choice for voters is clear. Bring this wretched fiasco to a conclusion – or consign the nation to the Brexit torture chamber for many years to come.