AS I write, Jacob Rees-Mogg has just announced that he has put in a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister. It is assumed that many others in his Brexit grouping will follow suit. David Davis, the resigned government minister, has asked the sensible question of why would it be a good idea to try to install another leader at this stage of the negotiations. Clearly the answer is that those in that wing of the Conservative party want us to throw in the towel and walk off into the world of world trade agreements in March next year.

All the disaster scare stories would then come true. Queues at Dover, empty supermarket shelves and all the rest. The present trickle of companies relocating from the UK to the EU would become a flood.

In my view it would be a criminal abdication of responsibility if this was allowed to happen without some form of wider consultation. Let the Prime Minister present her plan to the House of Commons. If it is voted down, as looks likely, we are then into the options of the same World Trade scenario, a General Election with Brexit delayed or another Brexit referendum, also with Brexit delayed.

Here in Scotland we wait. Throughout the whole process we have been ignored. Several sensible suggestions have been put forward to mitigate the problems we are likely to face without so much as a reply. Scotland is not even mentioned in the tome agreed as the divorce plan despite voting overwhelmingly to remain and being likely to suffer most from the process.

The First Minister has kept her powder dry in the ongoing chaos. She will be well aware that our patience is running out with this approach. We are now in the endgame and very soon it will be time for us to decide whether we wish to stay with this foundering ship or man the lifeboats.

Let battle commence.

DS Blackwood
Helensburgh

READ MORE: READ: Jacob Rees-Mogg's letter of no-confidence in Theresa May​