Ryanair will open a huge new operations base at Southend Aiport next April. The airport will become Ryanair’s hub for eight countries, flying 16 routes including the extremely popular Barcelona, Corfu, Milan and Venice services. More than a million Ryanair passengers will pass through the terminal on 55 flights a week. The project will create 750 jobs. A big vote of confidence in Brexit Britain…

Oh, wait. David O’Brien, remoaning Ryanair chief commercial officer, said of his own plans: “Don’t confuse this great news as some sort of vote of confidence in the future of UK aviation, it’s a vote of confidence in Southend airport… [it was not] a reversal of opinion on the merits of Brexit”. Not sure they’re even convincing themselves with that line…