Crashing out of the European Union on March 29 would be beyond ugly. Set aside what it would mean on the Irish border and the roll-on, roll-off chaos at Dover and Holyhead; the disruption to business would amount to a corporate coronary. The shock to supply chains would be like “ripping all the wires out of the back of a huge mainframe”, Ian Rayson, Nestlé’s communications director, told MPs last week.

A no-deal calamity, leaving us staring blankly at that handful of loose connections, edged closer this week after Theresa May first scored a victory against her rebellious backbenchers and was then routed in Brussels. She may have won the battle but Britain is losing the war. With no meaningful concessions from the EU, her