Ending the year with hope – and Brexit

This is what a truly representative Parliament looks like. Yesterday, the Commons voted 358 to 234 on the Second Reading of the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, edited to prevent endless delay: the transition period cannot be extended post-2020. The Government won and the Opposition collapsed. Six Labour MPS voted for the Bill and 32 chose not to vote at all, including MPS who have previously opposed Brexit in the strongest terms.

Objections that Boris Johnson is rushing this legislation through are ridiculous. Parliament has debated nothing but Brexit for three years, and if Labour MPS say they prefer earlier versions of the Withdrawal Agreement, they should’ve voted for them when they had the chance.

Surrender this time around is a public concession that Mr Johnson’s election win was a mandate for Brexit; brighter sparks on the Labour benches have worked out that for the Left to survive, let alone form a government, it must accept that Britain is leaving the EU. Unfortunately for Labour, every single declared or rumoured candidate for leader voted against the Withdrawal Agreement. With that mentality, they are likely to be in opposition for a very long time.

This doesn’t necessarily mean the Brexit war is over, however. No10 will be worried that the next battle will be about the future relationship, that the entire establishment will push for an alignment so close to the EU that it will look like an application to rejoin. By ruling out an extended transition, the Government is setting itself a very hard task. It is trying to settle whole areas of policy within 12 months and we can expect bitter resistance from MPS, civil servants, lawyers, academics, etc – most importantly, from certain businesses that will, yet again, predict the apocalypse if Britain doesn’t keep EU regulations and hug the Single Market close.

Alternatively, Britain could embrace the project and thrive. Yesterday’s result showed what is possible with a big majority and the political will to make things happen, and 2020 could be the year in which Britain transforms its economy and politics. So much is waiting to be done on trade, deregulation, cutting taxes to encourage investment and the revival of a constitution worn down by years of conflict.

The UK ends the year on a note of hope, which is what Brexit was always about.