The view at the top of government is that there is no public clamour to reopen the biggest questions of Brexit – membership of the single market and customs union – but that making the relationship smoother within those parameters is mere pragmatic common sense.

Hemmed in by his red lines, Keir Starmer has somehow managed to negotiate a new deal with the European Union. Once more, there were late night talks, with the EU playing hardball until the last. Admittedly,