There are moments when the entire political world gets excited about nothing. This isn’t one of them. The government has made a grave error. For a Conservative government to find its actions revoked and reversed by the highest court, for it to have to be reminded by judges of its constitutional and political duty, and for it to have given advice to the Queen which has been found unlawful, is a calamity.

And a calamity it has brought on itself. And all for what? To achieve what? To advance what?

It has combined constitutional sharp practice (or unconstitutional sharp practice, as the court has now concluded) with an unforced political error. This error had a kick — it united the government’s opponents behind legislation to