AS far as Brexit is concerned, opposites attract. Far left joins hard right in a bizarre meeting of minds over a misplaced belief we need to be freed from the constraints of the single market and the big bosses in Brussels.

For Labour Brexiteers, leaving the EU means the opportunity to finally pursue their socialist agenda to protect workers’ rights; for the Tory Leavers, it means freedom for the rich to get richer, and cut loose from what they regard as the EU’s restrictive checks and balances. Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters may be admired by some for never changing their principles, but on Brexit, they have a dangerous blind spot. His dogged allegiance to Leave voters has to be one of the big conundrums of our time and possibly the grossest act of harm we’ve ever witnessed in from a political party – harm for the whole country and self-harm for their party.

Corbyn and his branch office manager in Scotland, Richard Leonard, cannot see past their own narrow agenda. Here is a party with the best opportunity possible to topple a corrupt, incompetent and scandal-filled government, to turn the country’s fortunes around and steer a course back to building a better future for the many not the few, to borrow their strapline. Instead, Corbyn adopts similar rhetoric to the Tories in seeking to “take back control” by leaving the EU. Like some disturbing groundhog day, again and again they return to their mantra of following the democratic will of the people, all 52 per cent of them and never mind the peoples of Northern Ireland and Scotland.

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Meanwhile, Corbyn continues to misrepresent the opportunity to stay in the single market, which countries like Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have managed successfully without being in the EU.

I don’t think history will be kind to the Labour Party on the path they’ve chosen on Brexit. In Scotland, where we decisively voted to stay in the EU, the Labour Party could disappear into irrelevance if they continue on this road to ruin. Their new party leader seems to be following an even harder Brexit stance than his Scottish Tory counterpart, Ruth Davidson (although amid her flipping and flopping that could change again).

Like a petulant child, shown up for his party’s failure to take action on callous Tory austerity, tuition fees, and Trident while in government, Leonard would rather sacrifice national interest than admit how much a hard Brexit will truly cost Scotland.

It seems even more extraordinary in light of publication of the Scottish Government’s paper this week, Scotland’s Place in Europe: People, Jobs and Investment, which examines the far-reaching effects of firstly, a no deal Brexit, secondly, a free trade agreement and finally, the third option, staying in the single market. This is the only paper published so far that gives a comprehensive analysis of Brexit.

According to the research, a no deal option would cost each Scottish person £2300 by 2030, and would deliver a £12.7 billion a year hit to our economy by 2030, a devastating figure which would take us generations to recover from as we disappear into irrelevance on the world stage. How can Leonard reconcile these figures when they are the public tab for his own and Corbyn’s personal agenda on the EU?

Meanwhile, at Westminster, Corbyn’s snub to Ian Blackford’s call to join with the SNP, the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party, to form a strong opposition against the Conservatives on remaining in the single market and customs union is mystifying as well as foolhardy. As we know from the Scottish Government’s research paper, this option is the least harmful to Scotland, but will still cost the country £4bn, or £700 per person.

But even with this information, Labour turns its back on Scotland, opting instead for the most harmful of Brexits, crashing out of the single market and customs Uunion. It’s hard to reconcile their “jobs-first” argument when the figures show in black and white the catastrophic effects of Brexit on Scottish jobs.

Perhaps the most cynical thing is Corbyn’s ambivalence on a second EU referendum. Refusing to take sides on this matter, he leaves the door open for the voters to take away his own responsibility to deal with this critical point in the country’s political history. If a second vote goes ahead, and the country changes its mind, Corbyn can hold his hands up and say, it’s the democratic will of the people, and we must follow their lead.

It’s the perfect get-out clause for a politician way out of his depth. As for Leonard? He has a tiny window of opportunity to make his political mark – whether he goes for a big splash or tiny gasp of despair will depend on how long he clings to his misplaced Brexit ideals in the face of harsh economic reality. Don’t hold your breath.