Government must soon show its hand

The die is cast.

The process of the UK’s extraction from the European Union is officially under way with little or no indication what form it will eventually take.

The delivery by British ambassador Sir Tim Barrow of the official letter bearing Theresa’s May’s “wet signature” to European Council president Donald Tusk triggered what will be a long and potentially harrowing process for those involved.

In the nine months since a majority of voters secured a referendum win for the Leave campaign, there has been little meat on the bones of the Government’s “Brexit means Brexit” rhetoric.

The British negotiating team has insisted it will not show its hand too early and the concerned public must trust in its plans.

In coming months, we will see if that call for faith is misguided or if the UK can successfully negotiate its way out of the EU.

The Westminster Government will be dogged every step of the way by its Holyrood counterpart and whether it is able to continue to bat away demands for a Scottish independence referendum remains to be seen.

A constitutional crisis is looming at the very time the Government must be focused on getting the best deal it possibly can from the negotiations.

It must ensure it is not distracted from the task in hand.