BRUSSELS-fancier Philip Hammond finally seems to have got the message – OUT means OUT.

That means taking control again over our laws, our trade and, especially, immigration.

In a joint statement with Cabinet foe Liam Fox, the Chancellor declares: “We respect the will of the British people. In March 2019, the UK will leave the EU.”

This must have been painful for “Spreadsheet Phil”, who detests Fox and would happily shut down his Whitehall department if he could.

But something happened this summer. The Chancellor surrendered — and the Government finally caught up with the British people.

A bombshell poll shows two in three voters, including former Remainers, now want a clear break with Brussels.

People might be confused about how to untie the knot but they want a clean, clear divorce.

The survey of 3,300 people, by the pro-EU London School of Economics, is dynamite for Remainers.

Philip Hammond has finally backed the will of the people for Brexit

It makes a fool of pro-Brussels fanatics such as Tony Blair and ex-Chancellor George Osborne, who got every Project Fear scare story wrong and is now using an influential newspaper as his personal propaganda sheet to scupper Brexit.

And it destroys the fantasy of a new political party to re-run the referendum and take us back into the European Union.

People are not stupid. They know the irresponsible scare stories peddled by Osborne and discredited Bank of England governor Mark Carney were false. And they have increasingly seen the dark side of EU bullying over Brexit.

The most significant LSE poll finding is not on the economy but on border controls. Even Remainers want to halt free movement. Terrorist attacks here and across Europe will have heightened anxiety. So will mounting anger over the way some young, single migrant men treat Western women.

The UK is not alone.

Sweden fears it is losing its identity as a nation. Germany is fighting a wave of rape and other sex crimes.

Greece, Italy and Spain are swamped by a tide of immigration which is changing the face of Europe for ever.

Hungary and Poland refuse point-blank to accept new- comers. And still the EU has no coherent policy for dealing with the millions more on their way.

But there is one unspoken fear, gagged by political correctness, which links Britain and the rest of Europe.

The common denominator, almost unsayable until last week’s furore over Pakistani sex gangs, is Islam.

Thanks to former equalities chief Trevor Phillips, and Labour MPs such as Rotherham’s Sarah Champion, it is acceptable to say Muslims are a specific rather than a cultural problem.

One of the Pakistani perverts starkly identified the gulf between some Muslim men and the white British women they regard as prey: “They are good for one thing, for me to f*** and use like trash.”