Theresa May was forced to publicly dress down her Brexit minister at Prime Minister’s Questions, chiding David Davis at the dispatch box for “prematurely reveal[ing] our hand” in Britain’s approach to the coming EU-UK divorce talks.

But it was notable that the Prime Ministerial irritation was directed at Mr Davis more for giving the game away than the substance of what he actually said – namely that it was “very improbable” that the UK could win control over EU migration while remaining inside the single market.

In truth, Mr Davis was merely stating the obvious given the declared position of the remaining 27 EU member states: namely that Britain cannot remain in the single market if we don’t accept the free movement of EU workers.

That was the position when Mr Cameron negotiated his failed deal in February, and it is the position now.