Yes, I do, and he will have heard me say many times it’s my belief that any treaty should be ratified by the four Parliaments and not just by one, for any number of reasons, including the fact that any agreement may well affect areas that are wholly devolved, such as agriculture and fisheries. It wouldn’t be right in principle for us to be bound by something that we had no role in negotiating nor agreeing. I think that’s a fundamental principle that is well known in Belgium. It’s not yet known in the UK, but it needs to be known in as a principle in the UK.

In terms of relationships with other countries, Ireland will be an important partner for us in the future. We have a maritime border with the republic and those links will be strengthened in the future, and we will look to work with our friends in the Irish Government for mutual interest.

With the British-Irish Council, it’s in a curious position in the sense that one of the members of the British-Irish Council will be remaining in the EU. There are some issues as to whether Ireland can be part of discussions on the EU, because of its EU membership, in the British Irish Council—that’s complicated. There are three other members that are not members of the EU, but are members of the customs union and may well find themselves hauled out of the customs union without being asked—the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey. They never had a vote on it, but they will be told by the UK Government, ‘You’re leaving, like it or not’. They have no means of renegotiating entry into the customs union, because they have no control or power over foreign affairs. So, their position is even worse in the sense that they will be taken out of a trading arrangement without their people ever being asked their opinion on it. So, there are a number of complications that will need to be dealt with via the JMC process and the BIC.

In terms of the detail, yes, we’re more than happy to publish details, but he will know the principles that I’ve already explained, which are: a council of Ministers, four Governments agreeing frameworks on the way forward, and also, of course, an independent adjudication process, so that we can all have faith that there is a trade court or other body that is policing the agreed rules of the single market fairly. That’s the way it works in the European Union, that’s the way it works in the United States, that’s the way it should work in the UK.