Sir Keir Starmer in his office at Portcullis House, Westminster, which has become something of a chaotic war room

A rain-soaked hillside in Devon is where the plan was hatched. Each day of his two-week holiday, Sir Keir Starmer climbed a hill to find mobile phone reception to get word to the rebel alliance. He was not alone in his field.

Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary describes “the spectacle of standing in the rain with one or two disinterested sheep talking to people about what we’re going to do”. On Sir Keir’s speed dial has been Philip Hammond, until last month the Conservative chancellor and now a leading opponent of no-deal, Jo Swinson, the Lib Dem leader, and of course his own boss, Jeremy Corbyn. Getting them all to agree has required careful negotiation from the barrister.

Sir Keir’s Commons office in Portcullis