A fundamental conflict at the heart of the democratic process between two alternative ways of deciding public policy is being laid bare by the Brexit debate. Now they are about to collide, wounding both the Government of the day under Theresa May and the official Opposition under Jeremy Corbyn. Former minister Jo Johnson said in his resignation statement that the Government’s handling of the Brexit negotiations was the greatest failure of British statecraft since the Suez crisis of 1956. But that failure was almost inevitable, however skilfully Mrs May had negotiated.