After weeks of non-announcements and paltry incentives to persuade MPs in towns ravaged by government neglect, nothing has changed. This is the same bad Brexit deal that went down to the worst parliamentary defeat in history. It’s why Labour MPs should reject it again.

The government’s own forecasts show that acceptance of these terms would be set to lower GDP by £100bn – the equivalent of losing the annual output of Wales. Whatever is gained from reduced EU contributions would be wiped out by the economic damage. I can hear rightwing Tories now using the impact of a crisis they have orchestrated to continue austerity for a generation and flog off what’s left of our public services and national assets. While they might be rubbing their hands, that’s not what people voted for. Losing her majority should have led the prime minister to a more inclusive approach to Brexit, but she refused to change her strategy or her “red lines”. The government could have brought unions and wider civil society, regions and nations to the table and started meaningful discussions, but we were instead shut out until the last minute.

Nevertheless, in good faith, I met the prime minister. I wanted to discuss a plan to tackle the root causes behind why many voted Leave, and to find consensus to get our country out of the mess we’re in, protecting jobs and industries. Instead, in front of us we have a deal that would have us swap robust legal protections on our employment rights – secured by an international backstop – for promises that wouldn’t even survive a Tory leadership contest.

We know that we can’t believe warm words because when we look at facts rather than promises, ministers have already tried to pull the wool over our eyes on our fundamental freedoms. GMB’s legal advice on this deal has uncovered a watering-down of the existing international backstop on workers’ rights. A commitment to “adhere” to international standards was quietly replaced between drafts with a legally non-binding intention to “respect” them. This sleight of hand opens the door for the prime minister to achieve her long-stated mission of tearing up the Human Rights Act. If MPs lend their votes to this deal, these paper-thin commitments to maintain our rights will become a sitting target for hardline Tories, ready to roll back hard-won rights at work. Whichever way people voted in the referendum, they will not give thanks to those who back a bad deal which ultimately makes working people worse off. Those who expect a pat on the back from constituents for enabling this Tory version of Brexit will be sorely disappointed as the reality unfolds. If the prime minister is confident then a public vote should hold no fear.

If the prime minister is confident then a public vote should hold no fear

So many people voted to leave because things weren’t working for them and their families. It is not hard to see why: a lack of investment in our economy, dogged adherence to the dogma of a flexible labour market that made people more and more insecure at work, the erosion of funding for skills and opportunities, crumbling public services. If we don’t address these issues, and Brexit leads to more insecurity not less, then our country truly will be in crisis. Rather than prop up nearly three years of failed negotiations, politicians must now be honest with the electorate about what can realistically be achieved and prepare to press the pause button. Parliament can then seize control of the process in order to give power back to the people to have the final say. Those fond of their “take back control” mantra should delight in that notion.

If the prime minister is confident that this deal meets the needs, hopes and expectations of the people, then a public vote on the deal should not hold any fear – it’s what happened with the Good Friday agreement. Twenty years on from a landmark achievement which brought lasting peace to Northern Ireland, we should be learning from this process – not putting it at risk. This week this deal must be rejected. It doesn’t secure the future that we want for our country, regions and nations, for our families or for future generations.