But MPs would then stare into the „abyss“, she said, recognise that a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster and another referendum too risky, and would then approve the deal – perhaps slightly modified – when brought back to them a second time.

This is what ministers refer to as the „TARP model“ – as recently coined by former government aide Rupert Harrison.

For the uninitiated, TARP was the US scheme to bail out bust banks after the Crash in 2008.