Wine stays in the bottle, out comes water

EU negotiations normally rely on generous glasses of fine wine over large lunches and suppers to help break down barriers.

However, David Davis’s working lunch with Michel Barnier yesterday was a teetotal affair thanks to the June heatwave. The Working Conditions Unit in Brussels advised staff not to drink alcohol, which can cause dehydration, and instead to drink lots of water and eat only light meals.

Consequently the strongest drink taken by Mr Davis, the Brexit Secretary, and Mr Barnier, the EU’S chief negotiator, was coffee at the end of their three-course meal of Belgian asparagus, red mullet and meringue cake.

Mr Davis, Mr Barnier and their negotiating teams ignored official advice to avoid suits and ties, nor did they leave early, as other workers in the Brussels building were allowed to do when office temperatures went above 30C.