From Narnia to Brexit: CS Lewis and his vision of a perfect England

This green and pleasant land isn’t just the preserve of Boris and his band of Brexiteers. Atheist, liberal pro-Europeans can have just as deep a love of England, writes Mark Jones

'The Chronicles of Narnia’ – an inspiration for the architects of Brexit (Rex Features)

Narnia is fast becoming political shorthand for “away with the fairies” and “in your dreams”. Shadow cabinet office minister Rachel Reeves savaged the government’s progress on EU trade talks last month, saying: “They can call it no deal, they can call it an Australia deal, they can call it a Narnia deal as far as I’m concerned.”

And the SNP’s environment spokeswoman said the “sea of opportunities” promised for the fishing industry post-Brexit were "stories of Narnia".

But for the architects of Brexit, the fictional land conjured by the Anglo-Irish author CS Lewis is a very real inspiration. And here’s why.