Divisions are wasting valuable exit time

In such a febrile political atmosphere, Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, seeks to come across as the voice of calm and authority. Interviewed by Andrew Marr on the BBC yesterday, he laid down the law on public sector pay, insisting that he would not be knocked off his fiscal course by ministers in big-spending departments with other agendas. Mr Hammond also told his colleagues to stop talking outside Cabinet about what is said inside.

The Chancellor is right to caution his fellow ministers to observe the conventions of Cabinet government, otherwise no serious discussions could ever be held. Discipline is hard to maintain when Downing Street’s authority is diminished, but for the good of the country it must be. At such a critical moment in the country’s history we need a functioning Cabinet, not a warring one.

Mr Hammond surmised that some of his colleagues are briefing against him because of the line he is taking on Brexit, which implies there is a division, even if ministers refuse to spell out precisely what it is. He states that the Government’s policy is clear – to leave the single market and the customs union in March 2019. Yet some senior ministers believe, with some justification, that the Treasury is trying to frustrate Brexit.

Mr Hammond denies this – but how are businesses and voters to be reassured when ministers themselves won’t be clear? Differences appear to centre on the need for transitional arrangements, an eventuality the Chancellor says is now accepted by most ministers. But how long these should last does not appear to have been agreed.

More worrying is the preparedness of the country for the new migration and customs procedures that will have to be put in place. Mr Hammond said work was taking place “to look at how long it will take to build infrastructure, hire the people and put in place the IT systems”. These are vital: is it really the case that Whitehall is only sketching out the preliminary details now?

Today, David Davis begins the next stage of the negotiations in Brussels without a settled policy on Brexit, or at least not one that is easily understood by the country or by the EU, for that matter. Later this week, all the participants will go away on holiday. The next serious negotiations will begin in October, after the German elections. By then there will be less than 18 months before our departure. Tick, tock.