From the very beginning, to the dismay of those who campaigned seriously for Leave, the UK’s approach has been supplicatory, even though we held the two most important cards – our massive budget contributions and the huge goods trade deficit in the EU’s favour.

Despite this, Mrs May allowed the EU to insist that trade negotiations should start only when exit arrangements entirely to their advantage were finalised – which is where we are now.

Even now, Mrs May hasn’t learned the lesson and she went to Brussels on Thursday 21^st March for another begging session, desperate to pay them a billion pounds a month on top of the £39 billion already in her wretched agreement. On Thursday night we found that the EU is offering an extension to 22^nd May if the Withdrawal Treaty passes through parliament, or until 11^th April if it doesn’t. It seems unlikely that the Treaty will be accepted next week, so we should just leave on 29^th March as provided by our own law in the Withdrawal Act of 26^th June 2018.

Most of business is preparing for this as businesses do when faced with government-inspired obstacles. From March 30^th we will be free to negotiate any trade deal we choose, including with the EU, Canada (nearly done), Australia, Japan, Mexico, USA, without paying anything upfront. We shall in fact be in the same position vis à vis the EU as the last four countries. Bring it on!

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