Sir Paul Jenkins has called Theresa May’s Brexit strategy ‘foolish’ for hoping to distance the UK from the European Court of Justice whilst maintaining the benefits of the single market.

Either Theresa May is trying to con Brexiteers and really understands the critical legal point Sir Paul Jenkins is making – or she is heading for the hardest of Brexits, despite the evidence that this could only work at huge cost to British people.

The Conservatives are refusing to admit publicly that Europe will still require Britain to abide by their rules in nearly 50% of our trade, hard Brexit or not.

Brexit Tories are increasingly like Donald Trump in their refusal to understand the reality of international trade law – namely, you can’t tell the other side what to do.

We believe that any deal negotiated for the UK outside the EU must ensure that trade can continue without customs controls at the border; and must maintain membership of the Single Market, which smooths trade between the UK and the continent by providing a common ‘rule book’ for businesses and a common mechanism to ensure that everyone abides by the rules.