Progress made — but much work still to do

Spend too much time listening to Michael Gove yesterday and one might have been tempted to crack open a bottle of bubbly. Theresa May had “won” and Britain was now free of the EU. As a result, the country is ready to skip its way toward a brighter future.

As he toured the broadcasters in the wake of a frantic night of negotiations, Mr Gove painted a picture so wildly optimistic it was almost impossible not to treat it with suspicion.

Certainly, it could be argued that Mrs May has achieved considerable success by appeasing not only hardline Brexiteers but also EU chiefs, who had been accused of being out to punish the UK for having the temerity to vote Leave.

As ever, the truth is probably somewhat different to the rhetoric. There remains a long way to go.

That said, the deal reached in the early hours of yesterday morning was hugely significant and — in the wake of well over a year of talks that have produced far more heat than light — represents a welcome development.

Several concessions have been made, notably with regard to the eye-watering size of the so-called “divorce bill”, but — perhaps for the first time — there is now evidence that Brexit may actually be made to work.

It is a significant breakthrough, but much hard work remains to be done,