Remain is dead – now let the healing begin

HALLELUJAH! Some 1,275 days after the British public voted to leave the EU, the Withdrawal Agreement Bill has finally passed through the House of Commons.

No more deadlock, no more cynical wrecking tactics, no more siren calls for a second referendum. This was the day Remain died. To his credit, Boris Johnson recognised it as a bitter pill for many to swallow.

In calling for the healing process to start from here, he echoed the hopes of the vast majority of the British people – Leavers and Remainers alike.

The guerilla war over Brexit has been thoroughly exhausting and deeply corrosive to the health of our democracy. It’s time to declare armistice and for us all to move on.

This was another triumphant day for Mr Johnson, and a vindication of his whole Brexit strategy. His critics said he would never persuade Brussels to reopen the withdrawal agreement, never get a new deal, and never ‘get Brexit done’ by the January 31 deadline.

The first two of these impossibilities are behind him. The third is now a formality. All this and a landslide election victory too!

But despite these stellar achievements, there is no room for complacency.

By this time next year the Prime Minister has promised a fully functioning free trade agreement with the EU, new customs and immigration systems, and new arrangements for our agriculture and fisheries.

On top of this, the Queen’s Speech also heralded an ambitious programme of domestic reform.

So yes, a truly gratifying day. But the real hard graft is only just beginning.