Daniel Hannan (ECR). – Mr President, yesterday a spokesman for the European Commission said that the phase one agreement between the UK and the rest of the European Union was not legally binding. It was, as he put it, a gentleman’s agreement. But when the UK’s Brexit Secretary, David Davis, said exactly the same thing, this House exploded in one of those moments of gibbering rage that we occasionally get, even putting an attack on him into the resolution on which we have just voted.

It is a pity because we ought to be approaching these talks in a spirit of seeking mutually beneficial outcomes. You rarely hear a speech by the British Prime Minister in which she does not look forward to a warm and close partnership with the EU and wish our neighbours every success. That is, of course, a great interest of ours. We want the EU 27 to be stable and prosperous, but it would be a very sad thing if that lack of reciprocal goodwill were to lead to a suboptimal outcome. Your prosperity will matter to the UK in all situations. We want to have wealthy customers next door. Presumably the same logic applies both ways round.