We have to confess admiration for Tim Martin, the chairman of pub company Wetherspoons.

Martin has prepared his 880-pub firm, and his customers for the looming eventuality, some would say inevitability, of a no-deal Brexit. “FREE TRADE MEANS LOWER PRICES” is the message in all his pubs, and the claim is supported by offers of drink items that Martin has already replaced EU products with. These include 750ml bottles of French champagne being replaced with Hardy’s Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir from Australia at £10.99, and Denbies Sparkling Whitedown Brut and Whitedown Rose Brut, both at £19.99, and both from England.

Also from England, rather than the EU are 330ml bottles of Blue Moon Belgian-style Wheat Ale and Thornbridge Versa Weisse Beer, both at £1.99, as are 500ml bottles of Adnams Ghost Ship Low-Alcohol (0.5%ABV). For £2.99 are 500ml bottles of SA Brains Atlantic White from Wales. Sweden is another non-EU choice of Martin, with its Koppaberg fruit ciders at £2.39 for the 4% ABV varieties and £1.99 for the Alcohol-Free (0.05%) one.

Time for some others in our business community to stop grovelling to the EU and get on with replacing it then?