When we launched the Final Say campaign last summer, we were worried that the Brexit process was in danger of wandering off the rails. We had no idea back then just how undemocratic this saga was going to become. It was bad enough that the meaningful votes were not all that meaningful. But when, in the leadership debates, the idea of proroguing parliament came up, it was shot down so compellingly from all sides that no one really thought that even Boris Johnson would dare to bring it back. We were wrong. 

The ruthlessness is breath-taking. Several of his defenders have come out to say this is just the normal way British politics work. Such bluster is disingenuous.

Last night, opposition leaders announced they would try to prevent no-deal Brexit. This morning the Prime Minister moved to block that effort.

Yes, it is normal to prorogue parliament for a few days before a Queen’s Speech, and yes, we are overdue a Queen’s Speech, and yes, party conference season would normally shut down parliament anyway for a few weeks. But these are not ordinary times.

Britain faces a once-in-a-generation crossroads on 31 October. Whether we leave or how we leave are still not known. It is perfectly possible that MPs would have voted to continue sitting in Parliament through the party conference season – now we will never know. And there is no reason why the Queen’s Speech could not have been delayed a little further until after the deadline of the nation’s biggest crisis since the Second World War. And the length of this shut-down really does count: five weeks is much longer than the usual party conference break, and any legislation to block a no-deal Brexit would need to pass through the Commons and the Lords – it takes time. With all this in mind, it is hard to see the news this morning as anything other than a cynical ploy. 

The MPs who have long supported the Final Say campaign will clearly keep fighting. They need an urgent plan. If they are to force the Prime Minister to ask for an extension rather than a no-deal Brexit, they will need to show EU leaders that we are not just swimming around in circles. A general election or a referendum remain the likely two justifications for a further extension. So which should it be?

A general election is a problematic and overly complicated way to settle the question of Brexit. The outcome would inevitably be coloured by other issues, other policies, and personality politics. For one thing, Jeremy Corbyn has hardly shone in the past three years. Do you feel you should have to put him in No 10 in order to express the view that you don’t want a no-deal Brexit? For another, Boris Johnson would be hitting the campaign trail as the hero who wanted to get Brexit over and done with so he could focus on the NHS, crime and jobs, leaving the highly important but nonetheless crucial message about constitutional crises to his opponents. Which campaign would play strongest?

Whatever happens in the crucial days ahead, a referendum is still a part of any decent, democratic way out of this mess. Registering your support – and encouraging others to do so – is a valuable way to get that message across. You’ll be joining the 1.3 million who have backed our petition already.

And there’s one more thing you can do: sign up to our Inside Politics morning email briefing here. It explains the complexities clearly. We’ve kept this outside of The Independent’s paid-for premium subscription because we feel it’s so important that everyone has a trusted source to help unravel the cynical and complex shenanigans that are, sadly, coming thick and fast.

So sign the petition, share the petition, and stay informed via the Inside Politics email.

A no-deal Brexit is not yet a done deal.

Christian Broughton
Editor, The Independent