end of October, got a more extreme Brexit bill through the first stage of approval in October. But he withdrew it when Parliament asked to have a look at the details. Having broken his promise, he was forced to ask the EU for an extension of the deadline. Now Britain is heading into a December election—for the first time in decades, and the third election since 2015.

It is striking that, despite the delays and political chaos, despite the broken promises of the Leave campaign, the crashed pound, the departing businesses, and the stark economic warnings—including from the government itself—the country is still divided. It doesn’t seem as though many minds have changed, in either direction. A poll of polls does show that, since 2017, those who favor Remainanger, a kick against the establishment from left-behind areas of the country—though a national number-crunch would show that Brexit was won by middle-class voters in the south of England. But the northeast represents key parts of British manufacturing, particularly automobiles, and with six ports facing the EU, this region does around 60 percent of its trade with Europe. It stands to lose the most in a Brexit deal in which the UK diverges from the EU, because of the resulting tariffs and because of the delays that extra paperwork would have on highly finessed, just-in-time businesses. Goods can crisscross Europe several times before they become finished products—and currently require no paperwork aside from an invoice to do so. More on Brexit Brexit Fatigue Is No Reason to Leave