Remoaners, get over it and shape the future instead

Not much of Theresa May’s election campaign resonated with me, but I did agree that no Brexit deal would be better than a bad deal. A bad deal would mean coming away from the negotiation table without reclaiming control of our laws and borders, with a commitment to pay a large exit bill. A good deal, conversely, means establishing selfdetermination without being ripped off. According to a major survey carried out by the London School of Economics and Oxford University, most Remain voters agree.

The survey’s results are significant because they provide renewed hope for some much-needed unity within the country. The EU referendum was incredibly divisive. But while on many issues the June election raised more questions than it answered, one thing was obvious: more than 85 per cent of voters put a cross next to a party supporting Brexit. People clearly want their leaders to move on from debating whether the 52 per cent were right, to having constructive conversations about what kind of Brexit would be in our collective interest.

This week the Government is doing just that, releasing position papers on the customs union and the status of Ireland. As details begin to emerge, this is where the debate now needs to be. The Government’s position needs to be imaginative, thoughtful and clear, just the reverse of the vague mess often portrayed. These papers should further encourage that essential transition from debating Brexit itself, to ensuring we get a good deal.

Yet just at this crucial moment which could and should see the nation come back together, a vocal minority’s campaign to overturn the Brexit decision is reaching fever pitch. There is even talk of launching a new, anti-Brexit party. This seems baffling given that, in the recent election, the only major party which presented itself in just these terms, the Liberal Democrats, managed to secure just

7.4 per cent of the vote.

Is it too much to hope that those still fighting to overturn the result of the referendum will now focus their considerable energy and political acumen on making Brexit a success, rather than being stuck in the miserable and illogical mindset where every bit of bad news is to be blamed on Brexit while every economic success is despite it?

There is a vital contribution for all sides to make now by participating in the discussions that are sure to accompany the Government’s position papers. When even the EU is “affronted by the idea of London remaining brazenly unaffected” by Brexit, according to the City of London’s Brexit envoy, is it so difficult to entertain the possibility that if we pull together we might very well make a success of it?

The LSE survey makes it clear what type of Brexit is favoured by the people: one in which we come out of the Single Market, the Customs Union and the European Court of Justice. The reasons why are obvious: for Brexit to be successful, we need the freedom to pass our own laws and enter into trade negotiations with the rest of the world on our terms. Any deal falling short of that won’t have the nation’s mandate. Beyond that, however, there is ample scope to define what our country will look like in the future. It’s time to come together to do that.