The press coverage of the early election campaigns amounts to a level of brainwashing that is more commonly associated with dictatorships rather than a proud democracy.

Retailers have already closed 5,834 shops in 2019, up 77 per cent on the whole of last year.

The case seems cruelly reminiscent of the Ken Loach film I, Daniel Blake.

Did the CBI chief think his mic was off?

The experiment follows research which found Britain is a nation of ‘desk jockeys’, with half of employees listening to music while they work.

“Downing Street are concerned that if this emerges it would raise questions about the validity of the referendum result, which is the central issue in the general election campaign and could compromise the Tories pitch to the electorate to get Brexit done.”

The announcement comes as the number of manufacturing firms entering insolvency reached a five-year high.

Polling data from pro-Remain constituencies show the Lib Dems have been boosted by their stance on Brexit.

One eyewitness described the fire as “crawl up the cladding like it was nothing”.