Vince Cable: Brexit cannot now be delivered by this Parliament, unless the people endorse in a new referendum A People’s Vote is the last, best hope of bringing the country back together

In more than thirty years in public life, I cannot recall a time when the political system has been more dysfunctional and disconnected. A Government locked into office, but seemingly powerless on the biggest issue of the day – Brexit. And seemingly unable to engage with any other issue. An official opposition with nothing except anger and opportunism to offer.

Labour has finally lodged a no confidence motion, after weeks of failing to do so. I have signed it and the Liberal Democrats will vote against a Conservative Government in meltdown.

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However, even in the unlikely event of an election, Jeremy Corbyn refuses to say what he would do differently on Brexit. The barely discernible distinction between May and Corbyn is that he wants to deliver Brexit but with a customs union permanently, whereas Theresa May wants one for up to three years. Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

We are in a bizarre situation where the two main party leaders have never been more apart on political philosophy but closer together on the issue of the day. And internal party management has been their overriding concern.

Eliminate a No Deal option

The next step in the Brexit process is to eliminate the ‘No Deal’ option which would do immense harm. Only the currently improbable remains: taking the question – leave with this deal or remain in the EU – back to the public. Locked in a staring contest, whichever of the Prime Minister or the Leader of the opposition blinks will be the first to face the reality. Labour supporters are strongly supportive of a People’s Vote; the Prime Minister may see it as the only way to keep her plan in play.

Brexit cannot now be delivered by this Parliament, unless the people endorse it afresh in a referendum on the deal. And the reality the Brexiters face is that the ‘will of the people’ is shifting – there is currently no majority in Parliament, or among the public for Brexit. A clear majority of the public now support a People’s Vote. And Remain now leads Leave.

With colleagues from across the parties, this week I published legislation which could bring that vote about. It need not take forever – indeed, the public could be back at the referendum ballot box in May, before the European Parliament elections. Instead of scuttling off to Brussels to seek yet more meaningless exchanges of letters, Theresa May should be seeking an extension of Article 50 to enable this to happen. Every indication from our European partners is that they would accede.

‘There has been no Brexit dividend, but there could yet be a very real ‘Remain Reward’’

Dividing the country?

The principal objection now to this path is that it will ‘divide the country.’ It already is divided and unity on Europe is a horse that bolted long ago.

The last, best hope, now, of bringing the country back together is to resolve the Brexit story once and for all. Ultimately, the public would – I believe – defeat it, just as Parliament has.

With an agreement that Brexit is not the answer to the country’s many problems, our politics could once again return to the issues which will really shape the 2020s.

Our principal resource is our people – building an education system which prepares people from the very early years right through adulthood will be critical. Lifelong learning for adults as well as good schooling for children will be essential to a world of changing careers. The NHS needs urgent attention and real cash boost after the fictions of the last three years; the service and the social care system of the 1990s will not support the ageing population of the 2020s. And the regions of England – many of which voted ‘Leave’ – need an industrial strategy which will bring about a real rebalancing of the skewed economy, and the jobs and prosperity which those in most of the South East take for granted.

There has been no Brexit dividend, but there could yet be a very real ‘Remain Reward’ from re-asserting a leadership position in Europe rather than being isolated on the outside. Securing a referendum – and winning it – are not prizes in themselves; the prize is what we can do if we achieve it.