As unhelpful, ill-informed interventions go (and let’s face it, there have been many on both sides of the Brexit debate), this hits the gold standard for arrogance.

First of all, not one of his advisers told him beforehand that over-flight rights are not guaranteed by the EU but by multinational treaties. And if he’s genuinely worried about Irish fishermen’s rights with regard to UK waters post-Brexit, perhaps an offer of discussions with its closest ally and trading partner would have been a more statesmanlike approach than silly threats about withholding unrelated rights.

Varadkar has made much political capital on the back of Brexit, which has done his profile much good. He is particularly praised at home and in the EU27 for his staunch defence of the status quo when it comes to the Northern Irish border.

The reintroduction of a hard border, we are told, would encourage all those peace-loving Good Friday Agreement supporters – you know, the ones who have never really “got” the idea of self-determination and who aren’t bothered one way or the other who makes Ireland’s laws – to start killing people again.

Yet in this crucial area, we may just have seen Mr Varadkar’s fox being shot stone cold dead. According to the Irish Times, that well known cheerleader for Brexit, “the European Commission has reassured the Government that no physical checks will be needed on the Border even if the UK crashes out of the bloc without a deal.”