Well, I voted last night to keep no deal on the table, but the House of Commons voted in the end by quite a margin to rule out a no deal Brexit at any point. At every point I voted against ruling out no deal.
This is exactly what I have been saying until I was blue in the face for months. The Commons is never going to support a no deal Brexit precisely because lots of Leave voting areas went out and re-elected their anti-Brexit and anti-no deal Labour MPs.
That is why I have consistently voted for the PM's deal, putting up with considerable abuse from some Brexit supporters - none or whom I remember being out on the streets with me when I was leading the campaign for Brexit locally. I have been clear that this is the only way we will leave the EU, and some of my fellow Brexiteers have fallen into the traps I predicted and have now ended up putting us in a position where Brexit might not be delivered.
At every stage I have voted to deliver Brexit. The PM's exit deal is not perfect but it was also not the permanent end position for the UK so I was willing to support it because it gets us out and removes the risk of the Remainers grinding down Parliament to a no Brexit.
I am only one voice here and I will continue to do what I can to vote to deliver Brexit. Due to the idiocy of some of my Brexiteer colleagues we are now further from Brexit, not closer to delivering it.
I cannot predict where this will end now but I thought residents would appreciate an update.
Andrew
* update
More Brexit votes this evening, in those I voted against a second referendum (which was heavily beaten I am pleased to say), against a delay to Brexit (although a short one would be needed to get any deal through) and against an attempt by Remainer MPs to seize control of Parliamentary business,which would have allowed them to introduce legislation to cancel Brexit. Once again, Labour MPs representing huge Brexit voting constituencies voted against their own manifesto commitments to deliver Brexit.
Andrew