With British MPs likely to reject Theresa May’s Brexit deal as well as any alternative form of Brexit, it is becoming more and more likely that the British electorate will get a Final Say.

The trend in public opinion is pretty clear. If the people are asked whether they still want to quit the EU then in all likelihood they will say that they don’t. So what would happen next?

Let’s fast forward to that moment and imagine what a truly honest exchange of letters might look like between the British prime minister Theresa May and Donald Tusk, president of the European Council.

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Dear Donald,

Three years ago the British people believed in the fantasy of Brexit and decided they wanted to quit the EU. Now they have looked at the reality and wish to stay.

We have learnt a lot about the value of our EU membership. We see that you can’t have a single market without common rules – and we much prefer helping make those rules than following blindly those made by others.

We see the benefit of being in the world’s largest economic bloc when other big powers such as America and China are throwing their weight around. And, again, we prefer to help shape the EU’s trade policies than follow them passively.

There is more to be done to improve our economy so that the younger generations have thriving futures. There is more to be done to ensure that the fruits of globalisation are shared fairly so that whole communities are not left behind. We want to play our part in building that future.

But the UK has never been just a nation of shopkeepers, despite what Napoleon said.

We have a proud history, and we have a lot to contribute in foreign policy and defence.

We are an important European power. But we won’t have influence in Washington if we aren’t at the table in Brussels. And we won’t have influence in Europe if America no longer thinks we are important.

What’s more, three years ago, Donald Trump wasn’t in the White House and Vladimir Putin wasn’t poisoning people in the UK. The world is more dangerous and, although the EU has its own problems, it is a relative oasis in a sea of trouble.

Even Boris Johnson, our former foreign secretary, came to see that we have more in common with our EU allies than with Trump’s America. Whether it is on climate change, the Iran nuclear pact or moving the embassy to Jerusalem, we are on the same side as Europe.

This is no accident. We share common values and common interests because we are in the same part of the world.

Finally, we see that, without the EU, we would have struggled to bring peace to Northern Ireland.

So as we re-engage with the EU, we are determined to work together with our European friends to meet the challenges and grasp the opportunities of the next decades. Let’s make Europe great again!

Yours,

Theresa

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Dear Theresa

The entire EU is delighted that the UK has decided to stay. Europe would not be Europe without you.

You have contributed so much to European culture over the centuries. You are also more influential than you think – taking the lead both in creating the single market and in expanding Europe to the east after the end of the Soviet empire.

We will all be stronger with you as a member. You have the second largest economy after Germany. You and France have the most powerful military forces.

You also have tremendous soft power. Many people in the UK may not have noticed that many of us on this side of the Channel now speak English – even me!

Populism is a virus that has polluted so many of our countries. The original Brexit referendum with its fantasies was particularly damaging. Plato and Aristotle were rightly concerned that democracy can easily descend into demagogy. But your People’s Vote, based on mature reflection about the reality of EU membership, is a powerful antidote to populism across the whole Europe.

Tonight we celebrate. The British and European flags will be projected in light on monuments across Europe from Big Ben to the Acropolis, from the Brandenburg Gate to Puerta de Alcala and from the Colosseum to the Eiffel Tower. Tomorrow we get back to work – and we will value British pragmatism in getting the job done.

Yours,

Donald