As trust evaporates in Whitehall, Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, the former head of the Foreign Office, insists officials are not trying to undermine the government. “They do what their political masters tell them but morale is low because most people fear that what they are doing is going to be hostile to the economic wellbeing of the country. The prime minister looks as if trying to hold the party together is her primary concern.”

Lord Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, says officials are increasingly torn. “The civil service have a loyalty to the government of the day but they are also servants of the crown and the country. Normally there isn’t a conflict because you expect the government to act on behalf of the country but in the situation we are now in, where the interests of the Conservative Party are not necessarily the same as the interests of the country and the consequences are so grave, I do feel that their responsibility to crown and country needs to play in.”

Yesterday, Sir Nicholas Soames tweeted a photograph of the Parliament Square statue of his grandfather Winston Churchill, with the words “What on earth should we do in the national interest?” It is the only question that matters but Mrs May seems more interested in the unity of the Tory Party and her own political survival than the fate of the country.

Source: May’s party-first policy could come back to haunt her

This underlines what has been pretty obvious for some time.

On Friday 24 June, following the vote to leave the European Union, the Petitions service had to scale fast to accommodate unprecedented traffic levels.

Source: Scaling the Petitions service following the EU Referendum

Interesting explanation. The petition in question is approaching 5,600,000 signatures.

View the Revoke A50 Petition, broken down by constituency

Source: Revoke A50 Petition Live Breakdown

If you haven’t signed…

The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is ‘the will of the people’. We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU. A People’s Vote may not happen – so vote now.

Source: Petition: Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU.

Britain is now being held hostage to Mrs May’s vanity. The departure date, we must believe, is the work of divine providence. The prime minister has been heard say it is her “sacred duty” to meet the deadline. Kamikaze Brexiters, who want to see the country crash out of the union, agree. The schedule set out by Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, they intone, is also inscribed in British law. The country cannot change its mind.

The damage is piling up. Brexit was always going to weaken the economy. A decision to throw up protectionist barriers to trade and investment with Britain’s most important markets could do nothing else. Mrs May’s determination to run down the clock, leaving open the possibility of Britain tumbling out without succour or safety net, has multiplied the costs and dangers.

Source: Financial Times

This is behind a paywall, but you get the idea.

Leavers’ claims that the EU used to be just a free trade area are wrong

Leavers like to say “no-one told us that the EU was more than a Common Market”. It suggests that the EU has changed its essence, or that the electorate was lied to in 1975. It also allows them to justify having had a second referendum after the 1975 vote, while objecting to a referendum once we know what Brexit means.

London4Europe

A legal loophole – that has seemingly escaped the public purview in Britain – means that the UK is now caught in a legal lacuna, brought about by the illegal practices adopted by numerous Leave campaigns.

Source: Dr Robert C. Palmer: The legal loophole that defies democracy in Britain. – Brexitshambles

Hmm?

One can say, unequivocally, that the UK could not survive as a trading nation by relying on the WTO Option. It would be an unmitigated disaster, and no responsible government should allow it. The option should be rejected.

Source: LeaveHQ

Sometimes Leavers talk sense…

Brexiters say WTO rules make trade in no-deal Brexit easy. But they would hike up tariffs with the EU and could leave UK businesses exposed.

Source: WTO is the problem, not the answer, to trade under ‘no deal’