It seems an age away now, but about three weeks ago there was a lot of talk in the media about how the Government would introduce a “Sovereignty Bill”. Downing Street was briefing that something terribly solemn and binding would be put before Parliament which would guarantee the superiority of the House of Commons over everything else, thus assisting a Remain vote in the coming European Union referendum.

This, the briefing continued, would keep Boris Johnson and Michael Gove onside with David Cameron, who was discussing the matter with them. But then Messrs Johnson and Gove went the other way, and the Government appears to have lost interest in what, last month, it was saying was a vital constitutional safeguard. It will be surprising if the Bill is now laid before Parliament.

Perhaps, however, the whole thing was a valuable exercise.

When you draft a Bill you have, of course, to put the draft in front of government lawyers, and they have to give their best answer about what they think the legal facts are. No such lawyer could possibly advise the Government that it could assert the ultimate authority of Parliament without amending or repealing the European Communities Act which took us into what is now called the EU in 1973. Obviously Mr Cameron was not going to contemplate such amendment or repeal, so no Bill that meant anything could be forthcoming.