A joint document on Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU fails to give hope of frictionless trade said to be vital to the British economy, but offers Theresa May arguments to bolster her hopes of selling the deal to the Brexiters in parliament.

A leaked 26-page political declaration, to be approved by EU leaders at a Brexit summit on Sunday, paints a picture of the future relationship which is far from the Chequers proposals made by the prime minister in the summer.