Davis charmed the Lords with patience of a medieval martyr

DID you see that photograph of Kenneth Clarke (nominally Con, Rushcliffe), ex-MP Nick Clegg and Labour’s Lord Adonis scampering about in Brussels this week?

Those three London men were deep in a foreign country, snapped cosying up to our… well, what do we call the European Union these days?

Are they our allies? Opponents? Our future free-traders?

Philip Hammond has called them the ‘enemy’ and the EU’s Donald Tusk has talked of hoping to ‘avoid defeat’ in the Brexit negotiation. That was the language of battle rather than a friendly discussion. Yet Clarke, Clegg and Adonis felt comfortable pottering off on the sort of freelance diplomatic mission that is not easily distinguished from treachery.

The photograph caught them apparently unawares, hair askew, bellies to the fore. They looked furtive, as well they might.

George Galloway got into all sorts of trouble with the London ruling class when he flew to Baghdad and spoke to Saddam Hussein, saying: ‘I salute your courage, your strength and your indefatigability.’

At least that meeting was televised. How do we suppose Ken Clarke and Cleggy addressed the European Commission’s Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier? Did they salute him as Mr Galloway addressed Saddam? Were they even warmer?

Which side was Ken Clarke – the Father of our House of Commons! – trying to help? What was dis- cussed? Can we see minutes of their meeting and hear a tape of their discussions? After all, these are the same Clarke, Clegg and Adonis who demand details about the May Government’s Brexit preparations in the name of ‘transparency’. Mr Clarke has long traded on his aura of bluff mateyness but with that trip to Brussels he surely tests our amiability.

If he is doing anything other than helping the Government’s negotiations, how can he continue to sit on the Government’s side of the Commons?

PG Wodehouse was shunned by the Establishment for many years for a lower-level fraternisation with hostile forces. Why are we so relaxed about that tricksy little trio and their Brussels stunt?

Brexit Secretary David Davis was not asked about Mr Clarke yesterday when he appeared in front of the House of Lords EU select committee (a nest of Remainers) but plenty of other things came up. Mr Davis seemed to charm them. He came across as confident, resting his arms languidly on a couple of chairs. He spoke fluently in answer to their polite questions.

Lady Falkner (Lib Dem) claimed that businesses wanted the Government to agree to cough up billions to Brussels before sealing agreement from the Europeans on trade and other matters.

SHE had just been told so by lots of business types at ‘ a senior people’s lunch’. Ah, a senior people’s lunch. Now there’s a democratic forum. Lady Falkner and her ilk love senior people’s lunches.

They feel jolly important at them and these business executives can lobby them over the Sancerre and turbot. Mr Davis, without the acrimony it deserved, replied that he felt a greater duty to the British taxpayer and to the majority who voted for Brexit in the EU referendum. Lady Kennedy of the Shaws (Lab) was upset that British judges would no longer sit on European courts.

Mr Davis, with more patience than a medieval martyr, said that was the consequence of last summer’s referendum vote. Sorry, your ladyship.

Lord Liddle (Lab), who once worked for the European Commission, asked several questions, one of which touched on pensions for, er, former employees of the European Commission. Lord Selkirk (Con) asked about the ‘no deal’ scenario.

Mr Davis explained that a complete absence of agreement was not going to happen. There was bound to be a level of consensus about many shared interests. It was possible that there would be a ‘basic deal’ or a ‘bare bones’ deal without a trade agreement but he felt a free-trade agreement, with Britain forging its own way in world trade, was most likely.

I have not seen Mr Davis so relaxed for weeks.