Betrayal leaves us humiliated SAYS DANIEL HANNAN

LET me ask you a question. What do you think is the worst imaginable outcome of our EU talks? Is there something so ghastly that Eurosceptics and Europhiles alike would see it as more painful than either leaving or staying?

How about this? What if we kept every dot and comma of our existing EU obligations with only one change, namely that we lost our say over what they were. All of us, surely, can agree that that would be the most injurious status of all. We’d still be subject to the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies, to freedom of movement, to the budget levies, to the supremacy of EU over British law.

The only difference is that we’d no longer be able to block proposals we didn’t like. Indeed, the EU might bring forward measures that were specifically designed to hurt us – by, for example, seeking to shift financial services from London to Frankfurt – and we’d have to comply.

You can see why Brussels likes the idea of extending the transition period. It is better than anything Eurocrats had hoped for – better even than the prospect of undoing Brexit, and seeing a humiliated Britain begging for readmission without its rebate. It would give them full control of the UK economy with no British veto.

Why are we contemplating the idea? If reports are to be believed, we are ready to be a Euro-colony for at least three years. I say ‘at least’ because, once Brussels had us in such a position, it would have no incentive to discuss anything further. Our thraldom might become permanent.

We’re told that we need time to sort out the outstanding withdrawal issues, but hardly anyone believes that. The only outstanding issue is the Irish border. Even if you accept there is a problem – and the relevant customs officials say there is no logistical need for physical checks at the frontier – it is hard to see how an extra year would solve anything.

The two sides have set out their positions, and either London or Brussels will have to give way. If that’s going to happen, it might as well happen now. An extra year won’t solve anything.

Supporters of this climbdown seem to think that the only thing that matters is having something that can be technically called ‘Brexit’ – even if that something patently fails to address all the concerns that both Leavers and Remainers have expressed. In fact, literally any outcome – Norway, Switzerland, no deal, postponing our departure – would be better than non-voting membership. It’s extraordinary that that should need saying.