No doubt seeking to emphasise how little time is left, Michel Barnier has issued a warning to the UK Government stating there is not a moment to lose. The next round of negotiations are set to begin but there is open disarray in the Government as to the precise detail of its own negotiations.

Downing Street finally confirmed that it will not remain in the customs union- or any form of it. This came after a series of interviews over the weekend where ministers contradicted themselves over whether the UK would seek to be part of a customs union or not. The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd said that the UK would be seeking membership of something akin to a Customs Union while in an almost simultaneous interview the housing minister, Dominic Raab told Sky news  that Britain would not stay in any form of the Union.

Confusion over the customs union isn’t the only sticking point. The list is endless: how long will the transitional period last? Citizens rights? Ireland? These are big and serious issues which the UK Government just doesn’t seem equipped to deal with, at least not convincingly.

Regardless of how people voted in the referendum they certainly didn’t vote for lack of clarity, uncertainty, hesitant and contradictory (at best) negotiations which lack detail. The public trusted our politicians to get it right but the Government is failing to deliver, which is why a second vote on what the final ‘package’ will look like is not only fair but essential.