We are now engaged in a war of attrition, as the Prime Minister seeks to achieve support for the toxic deal which she allowed the EU to impose on her and the referendum-defying Remainer horde in Parliament try to beat the truculent British public into submitting to their plan to keep us in the EU.

The latest tactic is their plan for Parliament to vote on alternatives to the Withdrawal Agreement. They describe it as Parliament taking control and the message which they are blasting out is that further resistance is futile because the Remainers are in charge. This message also suits the Prime Minister because she has used the claim that a Remain Parliament is taking control to try and bully those who want to leave the EU into supporting her flawed and damaging deal. The threat is that, if the Withdrawal Agreement is not supported, these Remainers will vote for alternatives which means no Brexit.

First of all let us be clear: the Withdrawal Agreement itself means no Brexit. It ensures that the EU has the legal power to prevent us ever leaving except on their draconian terms, which would include a Customs Union and adherence to EU regulations. Those who negotiated the agreement have been quite open about that. They insist that the terms of the deal will be the basis for any future relationship with the EU. They also make it clear that different treatment for Northern Ireland will have to continue. As Leo Varadker has said, the agreement’s terms settle the arrangements required to keep the Northern Ireland border open.