BELEAGUERED MAY IS EVEN GETTING A RAW DEAL OFF BREXITEERS

HAD the PM stood by her word, you would now know the result of the scheduled vote on her surrender document. Sadly, in the timehonoured fashion of the grand old Duke of York, she turned her troops down the hill again.

The proposed deal would have been defeated – and quite right too. Presumably, despite all the bluster, that is why she pulled the vote. I have written some pretty harsh things about Mrs May but I hardly think the Brexiteer MPs have covered themselves with glory.

The Remainers have chosen a twin approach: to wear the electorate down through a long drawn-out process and to scare it silly about a no-deal scenario. The job of the Brexiteers was to counter that fear by explaining constantly and insistently why no deal is not as bad an option as Project Fear And Hysteria would have us believe.

Instead they wasted months on end threatening to get rid of the PM, boasting about getting enough letters to trigger a no-confidence vote, thereby neglecting the real task and in the process themselves wearing out the public’s patience with their sniping and failed coups. Even their resignations became predictable and tedious. Yes, they have undermined Mrs May and yes, she deserves it – but what have they achieved?

Meanwhile, the Labour Party grows ever more extreme and Ukip is falling apart. Never have we been so comprehensively let down by our political leaders. The words bang, heads and together come to mind.