Forget the polls. Even if the Brexit Party succeed at the European elections, it’ll have no impact on Brexit

Even if Nigel Farage won every single vote, he could not guarantee frictionless trade, he could not prevent a post-Brexit recession, and he could not solve the Irish border riddle. Nor could any other politician

Nigel Farage, predictably enough, has shown his usual knack for grabbing the headlines. A professional politician and former City boy – you might say a member of the elite – Mr Farage is experienced and cunning enough to know exactly what to do when in a tight corner in a BBC interview: attack the BBC and play victim. It didn’t work with Andrew Marr, who retained his cool and pressed Mr Farage on some of his more eccentric pronouncements.

It will make little difference to the Marmite-esque Farage. The nation has long since divided itself into those who love him and those who despise him. Mr Farage’s demand to have Brexit Party MEPs in on the negotiations in Brussels is the usual kind of ludicrous stunt.

Whatever Mr Farage says or does, in other words, won’t make much difference to the showing of his Brexit Party. But then, in fact, nor will his party’s probably respectable performance in the European elections make much difference to Brexit.

It merely confirms what has long been clear, which is that there is a sizeable chunk of British public opinion virulently opposed to membership of the EU. The opinion polls tell us that every week. It does not alter the fact that another growing and probably larger body of opinion now favours Remain, while support for a referendum to put any new Brexit project or deal back the people is also winning the argument as the only way out of the morass.

The other notable Brexit voice over the weekend was that of ex-defence secretary Gavin Williamson, the most embittered sacked minister since John Major had to let Norman Lamont go a quarter of a century ago. Williamson has it in for Theresa May, but he is also her former leadership campaigner manager and chief whip. Even allowing for rancour, his confident belief that the Lab-Con Brexit talks will end in imminent failure seems well founded. Each side seems determined only to make sure the other lot gets the blame.

So it goes then, with our MPs off on another break, and Brexit in exactly the same limbo it was left in when the EU grumpily allowed the extension to Halloween for the British to decide what they want to do.

The brutal truth is that Brexit remains straining under the weight of its own inherent contradictions – that the UK cannot have its cake and eat it.

Even if Mr Farage won every single vote, he could not alter that fact, he could not guarantee frictionless trade, he could not prevent a post-Brexit recession, and he could not solve the Irish border riddle.

If Boris Johnson or Esther McVey or Amber Rudd or Jeremy Hunt or even Pep Guardiola became prime minister, they could not solve the conundrums. Jeremy Corbyn would have no more chance of securing the mythical close UK-EU customs arrangement than Ms May and her team did last autumn. He too would have to concede on free movement if Labour wishes for a closer economic relationship with the EU.

Brexit is what it is – a mess. The time has come for the people to return their verdict. They should do so in a properly constituted referendum rather than elections to local councils, the European parliament or for a new MP for Peterborough. MPs should be at work now drawing up the legislation for the 2019 EU referendum. Where are they?