The EU apparat isn’t interested in a mutually beneficial deal with Britain. It would rather see all sides suffer than watch Brexit succeed. That is the only possible interpretation to put on recent events.

Try a thought experiment. Imagine any other potential trading partner – Japan, say – making the offer that the United Kingdom made at Salzburg. Picture, if you can, Japanese negotiators promising their Brussels counterparts that they would unilaterally adopt European goods standards, align their labour and environmental laws with the EU’s in perpetuity, contribute to Europe’s security and pay for the privilege.

We know what Eurocrats’ reaction would be. “Quick”, they would exclaim, their voices trembling with excitement, “sign on the dotted line before they come to their senses!”

So how are we to explain their response to the UK’s proposals? What are we to make of Donald Tusk’s unstatesmanlike and ungallant trolling of our prime minister? Why, when Theresa May had gone as far as any British leader could have gone to accommodate his concerns – arguably further – was he so hostile? And why did the 27 governments, most of whom don’t want a complete breakdown, go along with him?