Anda make Brexit a success

But the right attitude now – across politics, industry, finance, academia and the whole of British public life – is to contribute our ingenuity and resourcefulness to overcoming these problems.

Just as we should always shake ourselves out of the tendency to believe we are only a shadow of the great imperial power of the past, so we will now have to guard against the tendency to think we can never be as successful outside the EU. There will be no point wallowing in regrets for what might have been. Now everyone has to work out how to make the best of our great assets.

If we were starting out as a new country and were awarded the sixth largest economy of the world, many of the very top universities, the biggest financial centre, a seat on the UN Security Council, one of the biggest diplomatic networks, highly respected armed forces, a globally dominant language and millions of enterprising individuals, we would not be walking around feeling depressed. This is the moment to make the most of all those advantages, and the key test of Boris Johnson’s ministers will be whether they can do that.

It is true that over the past three years, people around the world have looked at us with pity, bemusement or even incredulity. Yet there is an opportunity to change that and show it would be a misence of the “Remainiac” Civil Service. “The trouble with (the UK’s EU sherpa) David Frost is no one outside the bubble has hahas ever heard of him. I’m concerned we might mightm be in another Olly Robbins situatiotion situation again, with the Government just blindly blinddly taking the advice of civil servants. That Thatat fear has been accentuated by the recent decision decisionde on Huawei.”

Describing the Brexit Party as “a bit bitt like the special forces”, he added: “We carried carrieried out a rescue mission and saved Brexit. Nowow Now we’re back at base – we’re lean, mean and andd ready to go back into battle if necessary.”

Yet despite all the military rhetoric, how likely are further skirmishes in light of Mr Johnson’s entire political future appearing to rest on the success he makes of Brexit?

His next reshuffle, expected as soon as this week, is being seen by Brexiteers as an important test of the No 10’s purpose. “If they get rid of a load of Leavers, then that’s not going to be a good look,” said one.

One Brexiteer minister says the mood music inside Downing Street is “positive”, adding: “Everything I see internally makes me confident the Government is sticking to everything it is saying publicly. It’s also encouraging that the PM and [Dominic] Cummings actually believe in Brexit.” Another added: “People forget Boris Johnson resigned from being foreign secretary over this. Both he and David Frost seem in agreement that we ought not to have the high alignment of Chequers.”

What many Brexiteers want to see now is Mr Johnson making the case for what happens now Brexit has been “done”. And there is certainly a consensus around driving a hard bargain at the negotiating table.

“For the EU, it’s a bloody disaster. Just about the biggest economy in Europe has walked off and is threatening to reconstitute itself as a much more dynamic free market economy and take the European states to the cleaners,” said one Tory insider.

“The British economy has got a lot of strengths – it’s number one in the world for services, its tech sector is second only to America and growing like mad.

“By comparison, Germany’s economy is in the toilet and France is living in the Stone Age by comparison. Sure, we could become Singapore-on-Thames but we don’t even need to do that.

“No wonder the EU wants to ball-andchain us. Brexiteers simply aren’t going to let that happen.” take to bet against Britain picking itself up and being a success. The attitude of those who preferred to Remain will be a crucial part of demonstrating that.

Many countries in the world don’t get the chance to decide on their future. Either their political leaders or their geographic situation do not allow for a choice. In Britain we are lucky that we get to choose, and we are fortunate to be who we are, where we are, and with the opportunities that we have in front of us.

It’s time for the Remainers and the Leavers of recent years to join in making the most of that.