Will the smile ever leave Brexit Secretary Davis Davis’ face?

It’s not difficult to detect a spring in the step of David Davis.

Despite the fact that he is the man responsible not just for extricating us from the European Union but fashioning our future relationship, he is clearly enjoying being back on the front line of British politics.

As much as anything else, that’s probably because he didn’t expect to be. But thrust into the fray, and despite the gravity of the task at hand, he is revelling in the role.

None of which assumes that things are going well, of course.

Despite his claim that "huge progress" is being made, there is an arbitrary timescale of a fortnight set by Michel Barnier to come up with more money – not that Mr Davis recognises that as a deadline he needs to stick to.

Just that by the December meeting of the European Council sufficient concessions need to be made to persuade the EU27 to move on to the phase-two trade talks.

But if – and in a world of big ifs this is perhaps the most sizeable – they decide that sufficient progress has not been made, there’s no chance of getting to grips with trade talks until the end of quarter one next year.

Even ten months to agree the most complicated deal in the nation’s history seems on the short side. And of course it’s not just trade: there are myriad other agreements that will need to discussion, particularly if – as seems increasingly likely – we leave the EU without a deal.

Still, the Brexit Secretary confirmed, as if confirmation were necessary. that the Government is planning for just that eventuality. "Don’t assume we are not planning for every contingency," he told me.

:: Brexit can be reversed – Article 50 architect

It’s worth remembering that we were told that "of course" a deal would be done. Now, so much of the conversation around Brexit rests on the sticking points in the talks.

Take the Northern Irish border. If there’s no deal, surely the only two options are that part of the UK remaining in the customs union (entirely unpalatable to the DUP and others), or a hard border (unpalatable to pretty much everyone).

There are solutions, I was told. What they are, I was not.

My eyebrows shot up at Mr Davis’ contention that planes would of course fly the day after Brexit in a "no deal" situation; it was of course his Chancellor who raised the prospect.

:: Farage set for £150k EU exit payout

I’m regularly surprised by the number of politicians who simply don’t understand that when trying to bring public opinion with you, it is almost as much how you say it, as what you say.

David Davis is not one of those. Confident, self-assured, dare I say a bit of a charmer.

But the public are engaging in the analysis of these talks as never before.

Will the smile ever leave the Secretary of State’s face? It’s certainly difficult to imagine.

This is a politician clearly revelling in the task at hand – but it’s a task that’s far from complete.

The fact that the Government will not countenance a pause to the Article 50 process – in effect pushing back the date at which we leave the European Union – seems entirely motivated by domestic political concerns.

After all, if in the eleventh hour of the negotiations an end is in sight, why wouldn’t we want a little more time?

(c) Sky News 2017: Will the smile ever leave Brexit Secretary Davis Davis’ face?