Chaotic Brexit - Comedy that has no one laughing

If Channel 4 ever decides to finance a remake of Father Ted, the producers might consider moving the location from Craggy Island to Westminster. Ted could do Theresa May in drag while Dougal would make a fine Jacob Rees-Mogg.

As for Jack, he could perform a miracle by sobering up, doing the 12 steps pro gramme and converting to a new incarnation as The Reverend Boris.

Brexit has descended into such comical chaos it is a wonder that more of Britain’s most prominent stand-ups have not taken advantage of it. It’s not as if there is nothing to laugh about, albeit while crying at the same time.

It has seen some supremely comical moments, among them Donald Trump, the self-declared master of deal making, lamenting that the British prime minister did not take his advice on how to handle Brexit negotiations with the EU.

Yesterday, his son, Donald Trump Jr tweeted (the favoured communication method of his father) to say what a pity it was she did not take that advice.

Despite her current predicament, it is little wonder that the prime minister did not follow the Trump way, considering that it was he who shut down the US government twice in a tantrum when the Democrats refused to bankroll his

Mexican border wall, while finally accepting far less than what was on offer before he turned the lights off.

The worst that can be said of Brexit is that it is an unmitigated disaster that has caused a constitutional and political crisis in the UK on a level not seen since the 1936 abdication of King Edward VIII.

The best that can be said of it is that the chaotic scenes in the House of Commons are an indication of a robust democracy in progress, one in which elected members of parliament refuse to kowtow to the dictates of the executive.

The reality is probably a mixture of both but there is one good thing that the 1,000 days of Brexit have so far achieved:

it has made not just the British people but the EU power brokers gain a real understanding of why unfettered immigration has resulted in huge anxiety in many EU states.

Former prime minister Tony Blair — the Bertie Ahern of British politics — has shown more understanding of Brexit than Theresa May. He wants the British electorate to think again, in the form of another referendum, but has also told EU negotiators: “if we think again, you should think again.”

All Brexit watchers continue to be distracted by the so-called Irish border, seeing it as the main stumbling block to a fair and balanced withdrawal deal.

Yet that ignores the main reason why the majority of UK voters decided to leave the European Union in the first place.

During the referendum campaign, there was little thought given to what Brexit would mean to the North. The cry of Brexiteers was that ‘we want our country back’, something they believe their government has failed to deliver.

In the meantime, Theresa May, who has designated June 30 as the next deadline, is unlikely to have the last say on Brexit. But she could have the last laugh by offering Trump a deal: “You fix Brexit and I’ll build your wall.”