Now two of the government's most senior figures have hinted the UK will continue EU contributions after Brexit

Centre for European Reform director Charles Grant said it could also help buy the UK some goodwill in its negotiations, and help it secure a preferential deal, in line with mentions of “Canada Plus”, seen in the notes of an MP's aide leaving Downing Street this week. Grant added that attitudes to the UK have cooled in recent weeks, with European officials reacting particularly poorly to comments from foreign secretary Boris Johnson on Italy's need to sell prosecco and rubbishing suggestions of freedom of movement as a founding principle of the EU. “That's just mood music. But in diplomacy, mood music matters. It's not the end of the world, but it has definitely not got us off to a good start,” Grant said.