COMMENT: Is a general election the way out of this mess?

Dazed and confused, the nation woke up today to what might seem like Groundhog Day, when history repeats itself, and nothing seems to make sense any more.

But unlike the hit 1993 film in which a bewildered Bill Murray lives the same day over and over again, this is not a Hollywood comedy.

Brexit is deadly serious, and what’s more, the date for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, is a mere 72 days away.

Britain voted for it on June 23, 2016, and today brings echoes of that morning after, with a million questions about what happens next, whether you wanted to leave or remain.

MPs last night roundly defeated the PM’s Brexit deal, leaving Britain on the brink of one of the most momentous episodes in its history without a plan B.

Shortly after the vote Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a vote of no-confidence in the government, which could trigger a general election.

Mrs May said she would make time for a debate on the motion today and offered cross-party talks to determine a way forward on Brexit..

Mr Corbyn said the confidence vote would allow the Commons to ‘give its verdict on the sheer incompetence of this government’.

But Mrs May signalled her intention to carry on in a statement immediately after the vote.

‘The House has spoken and this government will listen,’ she told MPs.

But as incredulous voters watch the chaotic events in Westminster unfold, they are entitled to ask whether any of these politicians are up to the task. To get to this stage has taken far too long, the Brexit negotiations are more complex and riddled with pitfalls than anyone imagined.

Maybe a general election would bring matters to a head – and bypass the need for a second referendum.

Have a good Groundhog Day.