John, today is the day we have dreaded. Today MPs will vote on the Conservatives' damaging Brexit deal. 

You and I know that there isn’t any deal that is as good as the one Britain had as a member of the European Union.

That’s as true today as it was four years ago. Boris Johnson’s deal is bad for jobs, bad for security, and bad for our environment.

It’s bad for farmers; bad for our fishermen; bad for EU Citizens living in the UK & British citizens living in the EU. It’s bad for you, for me and everyone living in the UK.

I take no pleasure in that. It’s our country, our children and our grandchildren who will pay the price.

Today, I’ll be (virtually) leading ourLiberal Democrat MPs through the lobbies to vote against this wretched deal.

Not just because I want Britain to remain a member of the EU, but because this is a terrible deal. With both Labour and the Conservatives voting for the deal, it will pass and I felt it was important for our staunch opposition to Brexit to be recorded again.

Today is a day neither of us wanted to come. For years, we campaigned, marched and protested. We did everything we could to try and stop this.

But today is not the end of the story.

Over the weeks and months to come, the real impact of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal will become painfully clear.

Our job now is not to gloat and say “we told you so”. Our job is to hold the Prime Minister to account for the ways that his disastrous deal has let the country down.

Now is not the time to give up. If you want a Britain that is fairer, greener and more caring, then you need to fight for it.

I can’t promise you that it will be quick, or that it will be easy. But I can promise that working together; we can build a better Britain.