Hang on in there, Mr Brown. Europe needs you for a while yet. The alternative could be a Conservative prime minister leading Britain towards the European exit. Such are the whispered anxieties in continental capitals, and among pro-Europeans in Britain, as Gordon Brown’s troubles stir speculation about an early general election.

It would be too much to say that France’s Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany’s Angela Merkel are rooting for Mr Brown out of a sense of personal affection. For a time he looked like a player on the European stage. That was before he became a certain loser at home. Europe has never loved Mr Brown, and vice-versa.