Voters will accept compromise. So must our arrogant MPs

THIS country’s worst troubles come when its lawmakers forget who they really work for, and become obsessed instead with their own hobbyhorses and ambitions. This is such a time.

The Palace of Westminster positively reeks with the sour smell of self-indulgence.

MPs polish their little speeches or pen their little articles, designed to show how perfectly principled they are. Many of them have spent so long worrying about the European issue that they have forgotten why it matters.

This applies to both bands of Euro-fanatics in Parliament, the dogmatic Brexiteers who elevate personal purity above political practicality; and the immovable Remainers who still cannot bring themselves to accept the verdict of the Referendum, and continue to try to sabotage it.

They seem unable to grasp that it was the democratic principle that put them where they are. If the 2016 result can be ignored, then by what right or rule do they sit on the green benches of the House of Commons, and why does a majority in that place decide anything?

The frightening part of this mess is that these concreteheaded dogmatists of both sorts might combine to destroy the Prime Minister’s hard-won compromise, and possibly unseat the whole Government. A significant number actively desire this, as it might well bring about the no-deal Brexit they think they want. Some of them do so because they secretly hope it will lead in the end to chaos and economic crisis, followed by a second referendum and Britain’s return to the Brussels fold.

In fact, there is good reason to worry about the harsh impact of a no-deal departure. Had Chancellor Philip Hammond spent the necessary money to take precautions against this, it might be a more attractive possibility. But he neglected this clear duty and a crash exit now looks very worrying.

The Cabinet Minister who has behaved most seriously and level-headedly in the current crisis, Environment Secretary Michael Gove, has clearly been influenced by reasonable concerns, as The Mail on Sunday reveals today. Confronted with the worrying consequences of a sudden breach for the vital water industry, he realised that it was simply irresponsible to gamble on the outcome.

The water network, like so many other parts of our economy and infrastructure, is so tightly integrated into the EU system that a ‘clean break’ would be anything but clean. Instead it might lead to widespread contamination of water supplies. This is not ‘Project Fear’ propaganda. It is real and immediate.

It would have been easy for him to ignore this and parade his Brexiteer principles, so pursuing easy popularity. Instead he took the harder and more responsible route.

So did the Prime Minister, who has sensibly decided to go over the heads of self-obsessed MPs, and communicate directly with the voters.

The overwhelming majority of the British people understand very well that no negotiators can achieve everything they want.

Yesterday’s last-minute shift over Gibraltar shows just how tough this can be. The urgent need for a deal exposes us to pressure to give way. Let us hope this concession does not come back to haunt us in the future.

The voters want the subject settled, over and done with. Let us hope that sensible MPs in all parties will in the coming days listen very carefully to the voice of the voters, end their posturing and settle for a wise compromise.

The alternative is chaos, very probably presided over by Jeremy Corbyn.