For four years they have treated the UK with contempt, humiliated Theresa May when she was Prime Minister, have been unwilling to compromise on anything and have worked on the basis that we would be happy to exist as its vassal state.

Finally the penny appears to have dropped with the British Government that we are not dealing with reasonable people here. In fact in the trade talks the EU have offered nothing but posturing for the benefits of the domestic agendas in places like France.

If Boris Johnson is to keep the goodwill of his backbenchers at a shaky time with coronavirus he must now stick firmly to his guns.

Unless Michel Barnier turns up with the new attitude demanded he should slam the door of 10, Downing Street in the Frenchman’s face.

But, while some think that Mr Johnson is bluffing over ending the talks the mood in Downing Street is that Britain is now moving on to a so called Australian rules system on World Trade Organisation terms.

Britain can do this easily with the rest of the world only too happy to do trade deals in faster growing markets as Japan has already proved.

The Remainers have always been wrong, it is the EU that now has the most to lose and has, not for the first time, proven itself to be incapable of making successful and friendly international partnerships with potentially willing partners.

The message from Downing Street that trade talks may not happen now for several years should be taken seriously in Europe’s capitals. It is a message that the current crop of EU politicians are not worth dealing with.

The only question that remains is whether Mr Johnson follows the advice of senior Tories including former leader Iain Duncan Smith to ditch the worthless Withdrawal Agreement that undermines the integrity of the UK and puts us in hock to the eU for £39 billion.