Not so long ago, I was asked by a European head of government whether I thought David Cameron would be willing to compromise on increasing the size of the EU budget if, in return, his European partners helped Britain in future treaty negotiations on EU governance. I did not think Mr Cameron would consider the two topics linked. On matters to do with Europe, he tends to live day by day, rather than year to year, and on the budget his hands are tied.

The UK prime minister’s position is starting to attract sympathy among his continental counterparts. But this is not stopping most of them, including Germany, writing off Britain’s future in Europe – much to their regret. Having been angered over last December’s “veto” by Mr Cameron, they concluded that Britain was consciously heading for the exit door. They may not think that Mr Cameron has shown much leadership in standing up to his party but the October vote in the House of Commons for a cut in the EU budget demonstrated to them his lack of freedom to manoeuvre. They were also taken aback by Tory bullying and surprised by Labour’s behaviour in supporting them.

Whether this particular tactical alliance will last is questionable. Labour’s leaders are preoccupied by domestic politics, not Europe’s future. They want to turn Mr Cameron into John Major: “weak at home, weak abroad”. This generation of Labour leaders is not anti-Europe but it is not anchored as firmly in the pro-EU attitudes of the past. Partly it is an age thing. Memories of the second world war and the cold war drove sentiment in favour of unity. These memories have faded.