No words needed

Here are some quotes and facts from David Davis' appearance before MPs this week, just to show what happens when you let Brexiteers get what they want.

Mr Davis rubbished the Treasury’s pre-referendum forecasts of an economic crash if Britain left the EU with no fresh trade agreement. But, when asked by the chairman of the Brexit select committee, if a new assessment had been carried out, Mr Davis replied: “Under my time, no.”

It drew sharp criticism from Labour MP Pat McFadden, who alleged: “Without an assessment, you have mortgaged the country’s economic future to a soundbite.” But Mr Davis hinted no assessment of the Brexit options will be carried out, saying: “You don’t need a piece of paper with numbers on it to have an economic assessment.”

And he appeared to downgrade the Government’s pledge that the UK will enjoy the “same economic benefits” outside the EU, telling the MPs: “I was expressing an ambition.”

On the impact of crashing out with no deal, he said: “It’s not as frightening as some people think – but it’s not as simple as some people think.”

During the evidence session, with the committee shadowing his Department for Exiting the European Union, Mr Davis also:

* Said it was “probably right” that holidaying Britons will lose EHIC cards, which provide free or subsidised healthcare across the EU, but added: “I have not looked at that one.”

* Admitted he did not know the implications of leaving with no deal on the transfer of personal data, which is a crucial issue for the booming tech industry.

* Acknowledged UK producers of dairy and meat would face tariffs of up to 40 per cent under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules – “the numbers in agriculture are high”.

* Described the argument that the UK could walk away without paying a penny to the EU, if no deal is reached, as “interesting” – “a very good start in this exercise”.

* Said he expected Northern Ireland would end up with a “very light border, not a hard border” with the Republic.

* Said he “assumed” the "Open Skies" agreement – which has slashed airfares across the EU – will be lost, although he would fight for a successor.

* Confirmed financial services firms are poised to lose "passporting rights" to trade in the EU, saying: “I would expect that to be the case, that’s an area of uncertainty.”

Quotes taken from The Independent

In other news, The Prime Minister has refused Nicola Sturgeon's demand for a 2nd Independence Referendum for Scotland, using the same arguments most of us who want to stay in the EU use; stronger in a Union, why separate from your strongest trading partner. And so on, the irony meter went off the scale.

Sturgeon's demand for a referendum seemed to cause the government's announcement that Article 50 was going to be triggered to be delayed until the end of the month.

I'll leave you with a question, and it is an interesting one: when was the decision to leave the EU taken and by whom? This is interesting, as the notification to leave, is covered in Article 50 clause 2. But, how has clause 1, the decision according to the Constitution been taken, and by whom? No one has, really. The PM can't take it, Parliament was not asked, and the referendum was advisory only. My guess if (and when) Article 50 is triggered, someone will challenge as to who could and who has made the decision.