Radicals v incrementalists: Labour’s new dividing line over Europe

One advantage of a security deal would be that it would provide a permanent forum where the UK can interact with the EU on foreign policy. “We’d be able to take part in structured chit-chat on a regular basis,” said Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform.

He sees Britain’s position as an intelligence powerhouse as a key piece of leverage. “About half of the relevant intelligence that allowed the EU to delineate certain individuals in Russia as sanctionable came from the Brits,” he said. “Informally that has continued post-Brexit, but they really miss us on the sanctions policy.”