The new hope of ultra-Remainers expressed by Blair, Clegg, Adonis et al is that the EU will suddenly change its mind and reform free movement, and thus Britain will be able to stay in the EU. Patrick Wintour in the Guardian speculates optimistically that “if Angela Merkel is re-elected on 24 September, she may… show a new flexibility and might support the idea of an emergency brake on migration”. You don’t need to be David Cameron to laugh at that one – EU correspondents from the Sunday Times and Politico know it ain’t gonna happen:

Ain’t gonna happen:”if Merkel is re-elected, she may show a new flexibility and support the idea of an emergency brake” #Brexit https://t.co/aXcCRzxE2N

— Matthew Karnitschnig (@MKarnitschnig) September 11, 2017

Extremely unlikely https://t.co/aFVXxwVxVa

— Bojan Pancevski (@bopanc) September 11, 2017

The doomed focus on free movement reform also shows Remainers still don’t understand the referendum result. Polls have shown Leave voters were motivated more by sovereignty than immigration – how would reforming free movement and staying in the EU honour voters’ instructions to take back control of laws, money and trade? It wouldn’t and it ain’t gonna happen anyway…