In December last year, the Prime Minister surprised us all by proposing to accept a deal with the EU in which we were committed to the Northern Ireland backstop. On top of that, the UK agreed to pay the EU £39 billion to allow the UK to have a two-year transition period after the end of the Article 50 process. Although we would have left the EU we would remain locked to the customs union and the single market, bound by all regulations and overseen by the European Court of Justice.

This, Oliver Robbins, her civil service negotiator, told her was required to unlock future trade talks. I begged the PM not to sign up to the arrangement. I said that if she did sign, that would mark the end of her negotiations because two of the critical things the EU wanted were about to be handed to them without anything in return. Sadly, she did not take my advice, and the EU, far from entering trade talks, continued to demand further concessions.

The EU knew they had us over a barrel. They only had to sit tight, say no to all our demands and we would be forced to concede. In an attempt to break the subsequent deadlock, the PM launched the Chequers plan – filled with yet more concessions – at the Cabinet, again maintaining the EU would accept this hybrid complicated sharing of the EU rule book and we would get on with trade deals. The EU, of course, refused to countenance it.