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ESTHER WEBBER

Westminster is in a crabby mood because it can’t get out the bucket and spade

The Times

We’ve grown used to hearing warnings about the consequences of leaving the EU for almost every aspect of life, from nuclear safety to football transfers. But Brexit is already having an unwelcome impact on one of our great British traditions, namely politicians pointing at fish. This used to be a photographic staple of the summer recess: party leaders joyfully picking out a shiny mackerel or a reluctant crab as they posed for the cameras on holiday in Cornwall or, at a push, Brittany. “We are relaxing,” the pictures said, “but not too hard.”

Even Theresa May, not famed for her joyous disposition, would provide a variation on a theme in the form of snapshots from her walking holiday. Back in Westminster, the lull would be