E&S Comment: Welcome to start of a new era

Let us hope that in future years, today's date is remembered as the start of a period of real change, rather than merely a symbolic gesture.

The vote to leave the EU sent a clear message from the majority of people in Britain that they wanted to step away from the bloc.

It seems bizarre that in the months that have followed, the debate has centred on whether we are heading for 'soft Brexit', 'hard Brexit' or 'Tory Brexit'.

Call it what you will, the choice on the ballot paper was a clear decision between staying in the EU or leaving.

The verdict of 17.4 million people was equally clear.

Those who have wished to undermine that decision have been largely disingenuous about their true motives.

They have hidden behind legal procedures that have barely disguised their contempt for the democratic verdict that was delivered in the referendum.

What we have now however, is a once in a lifetime opportunity to embrace a new found national independence.

It brings with it the chance to seize the associated economic benefits before other countries get the chance.

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the EU could be broken up entirely within the next decade.

Those who scoff at this notion are probably the same people who spent two years insisting that Donald Trump would never be American President, and that Britain would not leave the EU.

Britain has an opportunity like no other to set up its own trade deals with the rest of the world, free from the shackles of our Franco-German neighbours and their obvious self-interest.

The UK has the potential to become a low tax, low regulation pioneer that could be a model for world trade for decades to come.

A brave and decisive Government should grab this opportunity with both hands.

Theresa May must not be held back by non-entities such as Nicky Morgan and Anna Soubry, whose politics mean they barely belong in her party, let alone with the Brexit majority.

The Prime Minister knows that we must take this opportunity to put Britain first.

Every prevarication, internal wrangle and legal stumbling block is met with delight by our erstwhile partners and now business rivals in Brussels.

The national interest must override such meaningless and pointless squabbles.

Furthermore, talk of transferring some 19,000 EU regulations into UK law as part of the Brexit process must be curtailed immediately.

The whole point of leaving the EU is to free ourselves from the stifling bureaucracy that held back our economic advancement and led to so many ludicrous headlines.

Pulling the civil service into line will be a major challenge for Mrs May.

Sadly, it became so politicised by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown that there is a strong likelihood that the very people tasked with smoothing our passage out of the EU are steadfastly against us leaving.

Our civil servants must understand that they are there to serve the will of the people, not to oppose it.

The administrative machine has to come to terms with the fact that this country has now changed course.

Tough, strong leadership is required from our politicians to ensure the Government's work is not undone by opponents from within the machine.

This is a momentous day.

The decision to leave the EU has been made. Now is the time to welcome the new Great British order as the blueprint for the rest of the 21st century.