I believe the prime minister may be reading too much into last week’s warm words on Brexit from Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Emmanuel Macron. But a short time will tell.

The government’s own documents show that a hard Irish border will pose an unacceptable and irresponsible risk both to peace and to the Union.

As an act of policy, the UK and the Republic of Ireland have always been in the same relationship to Europe as each other. Brexit changes that. But as with so much else to do with Brexit, the Brexiteers were dismissive both during and after the referendum campaign about its significance. Boris Johnson himself declared during the campaign that the border would remain open as now.

After the referendum, the