Salve, festa dies, toto venerabilis aevo.This line, which I hear sung at Downside Abbey each Easter Sunday, has been stuck in my mind in preparation for the exercise of Article 50 and the deposit of Mrs May’s letter to begin Brexit.

It translates as "Hail, festal day, venerable of all ages." Admittedly nothing is truly worthy of comparison to the Resurrection but it is a great day and one of renewal.

British democracy is reborn and the yoke of Brussels will soon be gone. Reaching this stage has been beset by pitfalls, entrenched opposition and dirty tricks to keep the United Kingdom in the European Union, but at last the festal day arrives and it is worth considering how we came to be here.