An election that offered few answers

“We’ve learnt nothing [about Brexit] because it suits Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn to say next to nothing about it,” said Charles Grant, director of the independent Centre for European Reform think-tank.“The political leaders have conspired to pull the wool over the eyes of the British people and avoid explaining that Brexit means painful choices.”

The reason, it would appear, is that neither is a hardened Brexiteer, and neither wants to tarnish their election pitch with difficult realities about the trade-offs that will be required in Britain’s settlement with the EU.

“On these issues there are trade-offs which can be summed up with the simple statement that if you want closer relations with the EU, which are economically beneficial, you have to trade in more sovereignty,” said Grant. “That’s the basic issue and May’s avoided levelling with the British people on that because there’s no good outcomes for her.”

“The tragedy is that the opposition have not made her talk about it, and the media have been pathetic.”