The Brexit debate is no longer about Brexit - it's about democracy

After a lot of agonising I voted remain in 2016 and if I were magically transported back in time to 2016 knowing what I know now I would do so again without any agonising whatsoever.

But "Doctor Who" is a work of fiction, I have no time machine and I don't know anyone else who has one.  We cannot put the clock back.

I said repeatedly before the 2016 referendum that whichever way the vote went, it must be respected.

A lot of other people said the same thing.

Far too many of them have gone back on it.

I have not, and will not.

Those who opposed Brexit accused the Leave campaigners, at the time and subsequently, of not putting forward a credible plan for Brexit. With a few honourable exceptions such as the "Flexcit" plan put forward by the Leave Alliance group, that criticism has a good deal of force, but like so many of the accusations flung around since the referendum, it cuts both ways.

To the best of my knowledge not one of those people who want to overturn that referendum result has ever produced a plausible programme for what happens next if they manage to keep Britain in the EU.in terms of

• What credibility and influence would Britain have inside an organisation which we voted to leave and have spent three years trying to leave?
• What credibility will British democracy have if the result of a plebiscite called by the overwhelming majority of MPs and which the overwhelming majority of MPs were elected on a promise to respect is then overturned?
• What do they imagine that the 17.4 million people whose votes would have been disregarded are then going to do?

Most of the people who are trying to overturn the EU referendum vote appear to think that we can act as if it never happened. We cannot and it would be a very bad idea indeed to try to do so.

A truly horrendous amount of evil was caused in the 20th century by the success of a betrayal narrative which didn't have a fraction of the amount of truth in it as the one which "Leave" voters will have if Britain does not leave the EU.

In recent days a number of people, including some I count as friends, have accused me of allowing party loyalty to sway me into "supporting the hardline extremists who have taken over your party."

Party loyalty is important to me, but it is not the main reason I am backing the PM. Loyalty to my country is even more important to me than loyalty to my party and I hinestly think the best thing for the country is to be seen to support the PM so as to strengthen his negotiating hand in trying to elave the EU on the best available terms.

Whatever slim chance is left of getting the option I believe would be best for our country now, that of leaving with a deal, is maximised by backing the Prime Minister so that he has the strongest possible negotiating hand. 

It's not just that "taking no deal off the table" weakens Britain's negotiating position, it's that every time the House of Commons proves yet again that it is very good at voting against any possible solution and utterly incapable of actually passing any practical solution, our EU negotiating partners think "What's the point of offering the British government a deal? They won't get it through parliament anyway."

Every day that this deadlock goes on respect for Britain in Europe and around the world is damaged.

Every day that it continues business confidence is damaged.

Every day that it continues faith in British democracy is damaged.

We can't go on like this. If we believe in democracy we have to implement what the British people voted for.