This weekend, after last week’s inconclusive EU council meeting, the unfortunate reality is that the UK and EU are no closer to agreement on withdrawal. A longer transition period would do nothing to resolve this other than keeping us in a post-Brexit holding pattern for longer.

David Davis and I disagree fundamentally about many aspects of Brexit. In this newspaper last Sunday he called for the government to pursue a Canada-style free trade agreement, when he and his colleagues must know there is no majority in parliament for this and no time to negotiate such a deal within the transition period, even if it is extended.

But what we can agree is on a call for the UK to kickstart its Brexit strategy.

There comes