Writing in 1960 as part of his Grand Design – which set out a long-term, post-war strategic plan for the UK, much of which focused on greater co-operation with our European friends – my constituency predecessor, and political hero, Harold Macmillan, posited that ‘it would help us get a little way on the road if we had a clearer idea of where we wanted to go’.

Sixty years on, a more concise summary of the predicament upon which we continue to stumble could not be found.