Economists, politicians and financial bodies have issued countless stark warnings about the adverse economic effects of a hard Brexit, urging the government to do everything in its power to avoid such a potentially calamitous eventuality.
However, despite numerous attempts by the prime minister to sell her deal to MPs, much of the Commons, including a sizeable number of Tory MPs, remain opposed to it, as it could see the UK locked in the EU customs union long after the Article 50 deadline and gives Britain virtually no say in decisions made in Brussels during that period.