WE are all Leavers now, whether we like it or not.

If everything goes to plan, by March 2019 Britain will exit the EU, with or without an agreement.

Debate still raged on the streets of the North-East yesterday. A pensioner in Sunderland even drew parallels between the threat posed by Hitler in 1939 and Brussels’ influence over British affairs today.

A lot of nonsense has been spoken in the name of Brexit and the arguments will linger on, but the only debate that really matters now is the one between Westminster and Brussels in which Theresa May’s team must strike deals to enhance Britain’s prosperity and security.

Triggering Article 50 guarantees neither.

Two years of painstaking talks lie ahead, with the outcome unclear, except that the negotiations are certain to be contentious and that as with any divorce the only guaranteed winners will be the lawyers.

Optimists see Britain’s future as being a trading partner eagerly sought by the rest of the world. Others warn we could be left more isolated, especially since European leaders feel they must strike a hard bargain.

The EU may be ailing and dysfunctional but it is far from dead. Brexit and Donald Trump’s election as US president were regarded as precursors to a right-wing revolution that would sweep Europe.

Instead, populist parties are sinking in the polls in Germany and underperformed in the recent Dutch elections.

No one is following Britain out of the EU, so Mrs May will face a trading bloc united in their desire to get the best deal possible for their own member states.

Brexit has divided our country. The main winners have been anti-EU MPs and media outlets that cleverly exploited legitimate concerns about immigration. It is time now for the Government to listen to and represent the whole country, not just the ideologues.