A woman who wins a case in the High Court is bombarded with rape and death threats. Judges ruling on a point of law are paraded as “enemies of the people”. A Cabinet minister describes those same judges, whose independence is part of this country’s centuries-old constitution, as trying to thwart democracy. Has British politics ever felt this toxic?

Whichever way you voted on 23 June, the referendum seemed to be a healthy day for democracy. More than 30 million people voted, including many of those who normally feel disenfranchised in elections. For a moment, the referendum had restored public trust in politics that had collapsed in the wake of the expenses scandal. It was a straightforward ballot, and the result was clear.

But now, nearly six months on, that trust is on the verge of collapse once again. The failure of Theresa May to make clear what Brexit really means, and her determination to trigger Article 50 to withdraw from the EU without spelling it out, is partly to blame. Her evasiveness has created a vacuum in which no one knows what is going on: ignorance reigns.

Vacuums in politics are dangerous, and allow extreme and authoritarian rhetoric to take hold.

Landmark Brexit Ruling: What happened and what happens next?

Yet May is not the only Prime Minister responsible for the current mess. Under David Cameron’s lead, the Remain side failed to make a plan for Brexit because they refused to believe it would happen. The Leave campaign were divided on what Brexit would really involve and gave a misleading account of its attractions in order to seduce voters. As a result, no one was clear about whether Brexit would be soft or hard, leaving the UK with access to the single market or without.

While everyone should respect the result of the referendum, the challenge now is for politicians, from the Prime Minister down, to start being honest and clear – or risk squandering any public trust that remains.

For a start, May should recognise that the High Court ruling on allowing Parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit is the right decision under our law. She should then stop trying to balance the competing desires of left and right in her own party and set out, for the good of all voters, what Brexit will mean: soft or hard. Then she should seek a mandate for this by calling a snap General Election.

The resignation of the Tory MP Stephen Phillips who, despite being a Leave supporter, wanted Parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit, was a harbinger of the discontent across politics with the current confusion. It makes an early election more likely, because Ukip could win his Lincolnshire seat and cut deeper into May’s tiny majority. The Prime Minister should want her own mandate and must be tempted by the prospect of a comfortable Commons majority to implement her own agenda. But a snap election would also be the best thing for the health of British politics.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the “back of the queue” for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned – forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA – because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germany’s top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as “gateway to Europe” for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the Bundesbank—Germany’s central bank—told a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were “equivalent” between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still “miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market”, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEO’s performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterling’s fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

While referendums, which by nature pose a black or white choice, inevitably end up dividing a nation and leave a large proportion of voters feeling robbed, general elections have a more cleansing, settling effect. There are some who oppose our first past the post system, but it’s the one we have and not many can describe our election results as unfair. The EU referendum campaign was short on facts and high on hysteria, on both sides. An election campaign would force all parties to draw up manifestos, and make pledges on which the winner will be held to account.