But to go beyond that and meet the full challenge of Labour’s transformation by winning a battle of ideas is going to be the difficult part. Such an exercise is always hard for the party in government. Britain has a wonderful civil service, able to assess any risk or manage any difficulty, but it is the natural tendency of bureaucracy to hamper and temper ideas. Being a minority administration doesn’t help either. Aside from the necessity of implementing Brexit, caution will be a natural instinct.

Yet caution will not defeat a rampant Left, nor mobilise the tens of thousands of new activists needed to take arguments on to the battleground of social media. It will not be sufficient, at an election in 2022, to say we managed our exit from the EU and took the edge off Labour’s appeal with policy modifications. If balance and unity are restored by the time Tories head home, then real political brainstorming should begin, building on this week’s announcements with a focus on three key areas for the future.

The first is house building. Call in the big mayors and developers. Change regulations that stand in the way – for instance, allow micro-apartments provided they’re of high quality. Encourage major build-to-rent schemes, not just ownership. Make it a cross-party effort, showing that even a weakened government can give a lead and work with everyone.