It’s all going to be for the best, in the best of all possible worlds. That was the rosy forecast for Brexit presented by David Davis at a CEO summit hosted by The Times this week. Sunny uplands lay ahead. It would be simple to complete an EU deal by March 2019, giving us almost all the trading benefits we currently enjoy and, immediately afterwards, during a very short transition period, we would be free to sign glorious trade agreements with the rest of the world. The shorter Davis could be summarised in the words of Trump: “Winning! We’re going to win so much, you may even get tired of winning!”

There is much to be said for confidence and hope. There is nothing to