Recounting a recent discussion on the pros and cons of the Canada option, Mr Hammond then broke into an impression of the former Foreign Secretary.
He said: "Boris sits there and at the end of it he says 'yeah but, er, there must be a way, I mean, if you just, if you, erm, come on, we can do it Phil, we can do it. I know we can get there.' And that's it!"
And much of the Tory voting population will be in agreement with Johnson, of course, and against Hammond for not believing enough in the indefatigable British spirit that can overcome everything, including reality.
Why we have to overcome something we've voluntarily chosen to do to ourselves is never explained. Must be one of those pesky details people like Boris Johnson don't need to bother themselves with.