British business and finance are holding their breath. Few can quite believe that a British government could drive the British economy this close to the brink. Surely no sane government, entrusted with our collective wellbeing, could calmly contemplate imposing on its citizens immense trade disruption, transport chaos, shortages in medicine, fresh foods and key technologies? Then there’s the rise in unemployment created by two lockdowns and widespread bankruptcies. Even a minimalist deal, as John Major said last week, will be far more brutal than anyone expects.

Yet for what? A utopian conception of sovereignty that even in the full flush of empire never held true? Surely rationality must prevail and a deal that goes well beyond the skinny Canada-style deal with the EU – which Boris Johnson says is all he wants – will be struck?

But here we are. As I write, with days to complete negotiations and secure ratification, nobody knows whether there will be no deal – or “Canada”, which is barely better. The reasons are well rehearsed. A reckless, unfocused, Brexit-obsessed prime minister. A Tory party in thrall to its Brexiter ultras. A lapdog rightwing media. And too many of the potential countervailing forces, from the opposition through to business itself, are afraid of offering high-profile arguments for something better out of fear of being cast as undemocratic Remoaners.

Thus the obvious goes unsaid. Britain has no option but to engage extensively with the continent of which it is part. It always has. It always will. Global Britain is just another vacuous slogan. Whatever happens on 1 January is but the beginning of another chapter in Britain’s relationship with Europe. Of course we will have to strike trade bargains on everything from organic food to cars. Equally, with services, whether we’re talking trade in data or mutual recognition of audit standards, there will have to be an accommodation with the 450 million people on our doorstep. And because they are part of a bigger unit, they will get more of their way than we will ours. Only Brexit ideologues, in the same la-la land as Donald Trump in their denial of reality, could think otherwise.

Three weeks ago, the outgoing director-general of the CBI, Carolyn Fairbairn, did manage to gather an astonishing 71 trade associations and professional bodies, encompassing virtually the entire British economy, to jointly insist on an ambitious trade deal – and warn of the consequences of no deal. Steve Elliott, CEO of the Chemical Industries Association, says as the leading manufacturing exporter, “we need that deal”. From Ian Wright, CEO of the Food and Drink Association: “No deal would… put at risk the choice, quality and affordability of food and drink.” David Wells, CEO of Logistics UK, says a deal is “vital to keep the trucks moving”. Mike Hawes, speaking for the motor industry, says: “Only an ambitious deal… will safeguard livelihoods and drive investment.”

There was more in the same vein from farmers, chartered accountants, the pharmaceutical industry, ceramics, the City, motor manufacturers, airports, airlines, energy, creative industries, hi-tech. Even country landowners and the security industry added their weight. I can’t remember such urgency and unanimity from every nook and cranny of British business. For their pains, it was hardly reported.

And yet, even if there is no deal by 1 January, with all the immediate chaos it will cause, there will have to be some arrangement negotiated over 2021, as the environment secretary, George Eustice, conceded to the BBC in September, arguing that the intransigent EU would by then have to come to its senses. More to the point, so would the British government. A comprehensive deal encompassing goods, services and regulatory standards in which the interests of the EU are respected and the integrity of the Good Friday agreement is upheld is an inevitability. Johnson simply lies, as John Major says, when he declares all Britain wants and needs is a Canada-style, no-frills deal. There has to be more.

On data alone, the heart of the 21st-century economy, a skinny deal is not remotely enough. The Japan-UK trade deal drops necessary privacy and protection standards for data trade, again barely reported. The EU cannot allow Britain’s financial services industries and hi-tech companies to opt out of conforming to EU data standards, otherwise Britain just becomes a global data-washing hub. Without a deal on data standards, as the international director of the Financial Conduct Authority warned last week, British financial services stand on a cliff edge. So does virtually every British business deploying data.

The No 10 court is deaf to all of this. Grassroots for Europe, a network of 200 pro-EU groups around the country, is trying, to its credit, to raise the salience at the last with its Voices for a Better Deal social media campaign, highlighting the concerns of business, finance, university, science and trade union leaders. It’s a commentary on our times that before a national emergency there is no sustained, high-profile effort to sound the tocsin. In its absence, this is the best we can do.

The Labour party, apparently, is even debating voting for Johnson’s deal to show it has left Remain behind. It would be a category error. This fiasco must be owned by Johnson and the Conservative party. Labour’s role in the years ahead will be to campaign on endless issue after issue – on data, financial standards equivalence, transport logistics, drug safety – for access, common understandings and deals, culminating ultimately in either a special association relationship with the EU or full membership. Brexit Tories and Trumpites can try to defy the tide. Truth – and with it our prosperity – demands differently.

• Will Hutton is an Observer columnist

A lot of people have become instant food entrepreneurs because of the pandemic. Selling their products solely online, they have made our food delivery options more varied, and choosing a lot harder.

To help narrow down your choices, here are some items I found on Instagram and have grown to love.

Lotus Leaf Rice from Rolling Pin (@rollingpinph)

Flight attendant Melody Sy is revisiting her love for baking. With her mom Marines, who cooks classic Chinese dishes, she opened Rolling Pin last May. Their lineup of cakes includes a berry-filled version of the trendy burnt Basque cheesecake and an old-fashioned chocolate cake. For savory fare, their bestsellers are the pork and shrimp wontons, machang or lotus leaf rice, pork maki, pork kiampong, chami, lomi and five-spice kikiam.

The Hulk from Naked Bakery (@nkd.bakery)

Many started selling sourdough during the lockdown, but none were as pretty as the ones from Naked Bakery, so named because the breads have “nothing to hide.” “My time in Europe taught me to love bread the way Europeans do,” says Harvey Hsieh, 29. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to make bread because I knew that one day I’d have to come back home, and the thought of not being able to enjoy them was not acceptable.” So he honed his skills by watching videos online and consulting with friends. He started selling his 100-percent refined wheat sourdough during the initial stages of enhanced community quarantine, then followed it up with schiacciata, a classic Tuscan flatbread, and his bestseller, the Hulk, which is the schiacciata slathered with herbed butter.

Beef Rendang Empanada from Casa Luisa (@casa_luisa)

Because of COVID-19, Jen Gerodias Slagle had to lay off most of the staff from her commissary business. On the bright side, this allowed her to start anew and move to Laguna with her two boys. “Living here, surrounded by fruit trees and foliage and embracing slow living, has inspired me to get back in the kitchen and make things with my own two hands.” In June, she launched Casa Luisa, which offers comfort Filipino food using French techniques. She has sisig, tocino and tapa, but it’s her empanada that sell the most. It’s made with an all-butter pastry that’s treated like a croissant dough. For fillings, she has beef brisket kaldereta, French onion soup, and my favorite, beef rendang with pickles and sambal.

Gourmet Bangus Belly Sardines from CC Table (@cc_table)

A former magazine fashion editor, Carole Cuasay Tagle decided to offer her entertaining staples to the public last July. “I wanted to share my own take on comfort food using healthy alternatives and thoughtful ingredients that even kids will love,” she says. Her roster includes mostly bottled goods like Three Cheese Pimiento, All Natural Hummus, Tomato Everything Confit, Organic Chicken Paté paired with Pear Jam, and pan de sal from Masa Bakery, which is her sister’s business. The Bangus Belly Sardines comes bathed in flavored oil, and the fatty belly begs for warm rice.

Baby Back Ribs with Corn Muffins by Maisie (@aMAISIEingGoodies)

What began simply as a quarantine activity for Candy Villaroman-Tuliao’s daughter, Maisie, eventually became a profitable hobby. “I wanted the time spent at home to be productive. This was our way of turning our situation into a positive and meaningful experience,” says the dermatologist. Maisie bakes the snickerdoodle cinnamon cookies herself, while Candy does the baby back ribs, which are oven-baked for hours. And since this has been selling really well, they’re now working on a frozen version, which customers can reheat.

Wagyu Steak Bowl from Ginza Gyu (@ginzagyuph)

Craving for premium beef bowls, friends and business partners Rich Sanz, Maxine Marcelino, Mikael Jiang and Queen Lee started Ginza Gyu last week. Choices include Wagyu gyudon, grilled salmon, yakinikudon, ebi katsu, eight-hour kurobota chashu and brown butter tenderloin.

Angus Roast Beef from The Purple Wok (@thepurplewok)

The Purple Wok was a longtime idea that finally saw its launch due to the pandemic. “We had to look for means to help our laid-off staff from our other food businesses,” says Portia Vicente-Habaluyas. “They’ve been loyal to us for many years, and there was no way we were going to let them down.” Introduced last September, the brand serves recipes from her home: gambas al ajillo, paella negra with clams and mussels in white wine, and baked lobster tails. Their bestseller has been the US Angus Melt-in-Your-Mouth Roast Beef, which can be ordered with herbed veggies, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, mushroom splice and three sauces—basic gravy, au jus and truffle gravy.

Pollo à la Brasa by Viaje by Kev (@viaje.bykev)

Kevin Jonathan Uy, who graduated from Enderun and trained in restaurants Enoteca in Barcelona and Central in Peru, launched Viaje by Kev in August. “Being a Spanish-speaking, Latin American- and European-trained chef, I felt that I could offer something new and delightful in the face of this crisis,” he says. “The concept revolves around closed borders and open minds. It strives to bring adventure on a plate.” The brand has already become known for its pollo á la brasa set, which includes a whole butterflied grilled chicken, two pepper-based sauces called ajies (rojo and verde), boniatos or sweet potato croquettes and chorizo rice. He also offers a delicious barley risotto, and ready-to-heat callos.

Truffle Umami Rice with Smokin’ Ribs and Garlic Shrimps from Slow Burn (@slowburnmnl)

Food consultant and chef Chryso Morales, 32, lost some projects and his restaurant job because of the pandemic. To earn a living, he, along with partners Dale Morales and Matthew Ignacio, started Slow Burn Manila last September. “The idea is to offer unique and original flavor combinations on a single plate,” he says. “Putting together truffle and barbecue sauce played in my head, so we started testing and cooking in the kitchen until we got the right recipe.” The result—Smokin’ Ribs with Truffle Rice, Garlic Shrimps with French Beans and Cherry Tomatoes—is their first offering, and it has already gathered a loyal following. Next in line are salmon with squid ink rice, and an herbed and spiced chicken dish.