IT is time to acknowledge that the historic mistake to leave the EU can and must be reversed. Whether we voted Remain or Leave, surely no one wanted Brexit to turn into the shambles it has?

I’ve tried to imagine alternative futures in a post-Brexit Britain, where we grow more of our own food, take control of the banks and stop corporations avoiding their taxes. But such a future while the Tories are in charge will remain fantasy.

They are using Brexit as an opportunity for a power grab; disfiguring our democracy beyond recognition. And Labour is as divided on Brexit as the Conservatives, failing to provide opposition on the dominant political issue of the day.

Many Conservative MEPs are horrified by what is happening. My counterpart in the South West, Julie Girling, voted as I did for a European Parliament resolution declaring insufficient progress has been made in the Brexit talks to warrant moving on to discussions about a future trading relationship. As a result she has been called a traitor and effectively kicked out of her Party.

Greens believe there must be a ratification referendum on the final Brexit deal, with remaining in the EU an option in this referendum.

There is nothing undemocratic about this. We are asking for more democracy, not less: a choice between two real, possible futures at the end of the negotiations. This will enable the people themselves to bring an end to this damaging and dangerous chapter in our county’s history.

Molly Scott Cato MEP

Green, South West England,

European Parliament, Brussels