MPS will meet tomorrow in the House of Commons for an historic Saturday sitting – and more than ever, they will have the economic future of the UK in their hands.

The warnings about the effect of a no-deal Brexit on the national finances have been clear. The North-East, a region heavily reliant on manufacturing exports, would be particularly hard hit if we revert to WTO tariffs overnight. For North Yorkshire, where agriculture is a key industry, the tariff regime confirmed by ministers last week would see no tariffs imposed on 88 per cent of imports – including grains, eggs, fruit, vegetables and some dairy products – but varying tariffs on food exports. Wheat, for example, would see a 54 per cent export tariff, but no tariff at all on imports coming the other way.

Only last week, Nissan, which employs 6,000 people at Sunderland and supports about 35,000 UK jobs, warned the potential ten per cent WTO tariff on exports would make the company’s European business model unsustainable. This is not “Project Fear” as some would claim, but real, specific concerns about what a no-deal exit could do to our economy.

There are so many political games afoot that it is difficult to keep up with which party is supporting or opposing Boris Johnson’s deal.

The penny seems to finally have dropped for the prime minister what no-deal would mean. The impact must be at the forefront of MPs’ minds as they choose which way to vote tomorrow. Our region, the country – and Europe – simply cannot afford a no-deal Brexit.