Britain may decide not to leave the EU when faced with the reality of a “hard Brexit”, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council said last night, warning that the upcoming divorce talks would be “painful”.

His intervention came as Europe continues to harden its approach towards the negotiations after Theresa May’s shift towards a “hard Brexit”, revealed at last week’s Conservative Party conference.

Mr Tusk said Mrs May’s pledge to end the free movement of EU workers, stop EU budget payments and restore the primacy of UK law-making meant Britain had opted to “radically loosen” its ties to Europe.