THIS week’s In My View comes from Bracknell Mp Dr Phillip Lee

They like games at Eton. Some are named after the place. They write songs about others. Unfortunately, it seems that some of their former students continue with this obsession into later life, even when the issues they are dealing with are deadly serious to others.

Last week in Parliament, after telling us virtually every day since he became Prime Minister that he was the person to 'Get Brexit Done', Boris Johnson became the person stopping it from happening. What is worse, it appeared to many that for him, this was just part of a game.

The UK and EU negotiators had come up with a deal for us to leave the EU, which the PM, in Trump-like language immediately declared to be a Great Deal. It’s not. In many ways it is exactly the same as the May deal and where it differs it is frequently a lot worse, for example in terms of workers' rights and environmental protections.

Despite its shortcomings, on Tuesday the Prime Minister achieved a majority for the principle of the Bill that would implement the deal. He then demanded that MPs agree to vote through all of the detailed legislation (there are over 100 pages of closely typed clauses) with just a few hours scrutiny. Rightly, and not surprisingly, MPs from all sides refused and asked to be given more time. After all, the Act that took us into the European Community in 1972 was less than a third the size and was allocated over 300 hours of debate.

Instead of entering into a rational discussion, the Prime Minister went off in a strop and suspended the Bill altogether. Rather like a child taking home his football because he wasn't allowed to say how long the game would last.

His latest manoeuvre was to suggest a few more days to discuss the Bill, providing MPs agree to allow a general election on 12 December - incidentally the day that sees the earliest sunset. Again he accompanies this with a threat - if MPs don't accede, then the entire Bill will be withdrawn. Not only will he take home his ball, he will burst it as well.

But a General Election cannot be used to solve a single issue - the clue is in the title. And what would happen if, as seems likely, the public return another hung parliament that is completely split on the issue?

Prime Minister, you have your agreement; you did have a majority. Why the rush to have an election in the depths of winter? Is it, perhaps, because you realise that the contradictions in the agreement will not stand up to scrutiny?

Brexit is too important for egos and tantrums. If the Prime Minister is not capable of showing the leadership this country needs, then he should stand aside and allow others to do so.

The way forward is clear. We need to pass the deal but with the proviso that public get the opportunity to approve or reject it in a confirmatory referendum. Once they have spoken, we either leave on the next day or we revoke article 50. Only once that has taken place do we hold the General Election where the public can cast judgement on what has happened in the last 2½ years and elect those who they want to take the country forward towards the future they have chosen.