Yes PM, another vote would be utter folly

WHEN the public voted to leave the European Union by a margin of 1.3million, politicians from all parties promised to honour the result – the biggest mandate in UK history.

Yet three months before we quit the bloc in search of a gleaming future, there is a cynical attempt to steal Brexit from the people. Far from respecting the decision, scheming politicians are conspiring to stage a second referendum. They hope the inconvenient defeat can be reversed in a ‘People’s Vote’ (remind us, what was the first one?) so Britain can remain in the EU.

One insidious example: last week meddler-in-chief Tony Blair scuttled away to Brussels to connive with European leaders just as Theresa May was negotiating with them. Dedicating himself to damaging Britain’s attempt to push for a better deal, his treachery is nauseating.

Quite rightly, Mrs May furiously branded his duplicity an ‘insult to the office he once held’. What on earth does he think he’s playing at? This, remember, is the Labour leader who lied to drag Britain into an illegal war in Iraq, an invasion that killed 179 UK troops and countless innocent civilians.

Meanwhile, Mrs May’s Tory allies have also discussed a fresh referendum in a bid to break the Brexit impasse. Today – properly – she emphatically rules that option out.

A second vote would inflict irrevocable damage, splintering our democracy’s integrity and corroding the faith of millions of people already disillusioned with politics. It would worsen resentments in our already fractured nation, irreparably dividing families, friends and communities... and solve nothing.

Politicians risk unleashing a tidal wave of rage by ignoring the verdict of the British people. It would almost certainly tear the Tory and Labour parties asunder.

For hardline Leavers such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, there is a crucial lesson to learn from this incessant demand for another referendum. It is the sobering reminder that by insisting on a perfect Brexit, rather than compromising on a good one, they risk letting the prize slip through their fingers.

True, Mrs May’s deal is far from perfect. But it does deliver Brexit by regaining control of our borders and waters, and ending enormous payments into the EU – all manifesto commitments.

But if the country stumbles into a fresh referendum, Remain could win – and Brexit would be lost forever. Surely that should focus the most stubborn Brexiteer minds.

This paper urges them to throw their support behind the Prime Minister. The nation deserves, and expects, nothing less.