I’m lamentably old enough to remember when our Eurochums flipped into Brexit attack mode and held that tariffs were a reasonable big stick with which the 27-state EU might threaten a solitary UK.

Remember all that crud about the EU 27 acting as one in an unbreakable bond? Yes, that federal façade.

Now they’ve been bounced with a lively levy by a bigger beast, it’s an ‘unreasonable measure’ that merits retaliation.

They don’t like it up ’em, do they?

Some bureaucratic fink is likely already beavering away in a dark recess of the Berlaymont building to spunk up a fresh but exemptive definition of ‘bullying’.

Lest we forget, the fundamental force of the EU has always been its unabashed weaponisation of the single market. They have revelled in the implicit threat of economy-screwing tax hikes.

Chaps, there’s always a bigger bully in the playground.

This could all morph into a Truss/Kwarteng moment for Trump, but for all their bluster the world will likely capitulate.

And that will be just tariffic.