There is no such thing as Theresa May’s Brexit deal. The Withdrawal Agreement is merely a legal contract to pay £39bn, with the Irish back-stop for good measure.

In exchange, Britain secures a transition phase with no veto rights, bound to accept all fresh EU law even when it threatens the national interest.

On payment of the exit fee we also secure the ‘privilege’ of starting talks on a deal. The terms of that deal must be agreed by all 27 EU states (unlike the Withdrawal Agreement).

This will be a negotiating nightmare. We will face the same cliff-edge in two years, but with less leverage and unanimity to contend with.

Whatever Mrs May now says, the UK will probably end up having to accept the full single market for goods and the customs union, freedom of movement, fishery quotas, and the full writ of the European Court, in order to get any trade deal.

The package will be a sort ‘Norway double minus’ with barnacles. The EU will lock in goods trade, but exclude services. We will have sacrificed the biggest part of our economy for nothing, entirely on terms that favour Brussels. Personally, I prefer to have the showdown right now.