• POLLY Toynbee duly presided over a packed meeting in Camden’s council chamber, opening with a talk on “stopping Brexit”.

She then piloted a two-and-a-half hour discussion about the past, present, and future of negotiations with the EU.

Expressing sympathy with those arguing for a strong and clear “stop Brexit” policy from Labour, her present view was that, although there were indications polls were shifting towards Remain, the time was not quite right for such a stand.

Meanwhile it was more realistic to think in terms of a “Norway option” (the UK remaining in the single market and a customs union without actually retaining full EU membership).

Voices from the floor contained robust views: that Labour’s determination to invest in the economies and societies of northern cities (as well as in health and education generally) was the only route to address the causes of the Brexit vote; that while Sir Keir Starmer had performed with enormous skill, Labour could only change minds and stop Brexit by way of a mass movement of members and their allies (including school and university teachers, researchers, and students, together with other associations of young people); that the party’s adoption of a Remain policy needed to be linked to the struggle to reform the EU itself; that Ireland and Irish politics is fundamental; and that Labour should use the experience and skills of its members to produce its own comprehensive social, cultural, and economic “impact assessments” and make these publicly available at every opportunity including at the local elections.

All these actions might give voters the freedom, at last, decisively to emerge from the dark forests of lies and false promises made by the Leavers.

TOM SELWYN, NW1