May government's Brexit aims were never achievable – they've been hunting a fantastical beast all along

To cite Lewis Carroll, the British government have been hunting a Snark, writes Michael Keating, University of Aberdeen.

The Brexit process started in March 2017 with the triggering of Article 50, allowing two years to complete the process. The main story since then has been of postponing difficult decisions in the hope that something would turn up. Ministers have insisted they have a mandate from the people but have struggled to agree on what it entails in practice. Negotiations within the UK government have been as difficult as those with the EU.