THE heady, fruity aroma of hops fills the air of the Aycliffe industrial unit that is the home of the Steam Machine brewery in Aycliffe. Head brewer Nick Smith talks intoxicatingly of the hints of citrus that the hops from around the world add to his ales: a whiff of watermelon here, a pizzazz of passionfruit in his brown ale there.

“We need a reality check here,” says Sir Keir Starmer soberly. “In 120 days from now, Article 50 will be triggered and the Government will begin negotiating our exit from the EU.”

But at the moment, Theresa May’s Government is lurching drunkenly about. “They are veering from one position to another, but they are running out of time,” he says. “They need to settle their plan and then disclose it.”

Mr Starmer has only been a politician for a couple of years – he was knighted when his time as Director of Public Prosecutions came to an end in 2013 – but he is already leading Labour’s Brexit team. Should, as seems likely, the Supreme Court insist that Parliament is involved in the Brexit debate early next year, he will suddenly become one of the most high profile politicians, leading the scrutiny of the Government’s stance.

“There are two very different futures that could follow from the Government’s starting position,” he says. “One is that hard Brexit, more extreme Brexit, which would be very damaging to the economy; the other is to favour a more collaborative and co-operative approach.”

Mr Starmer believes he is advocating the latter approach. For instance, this week, as Theresa May’s preliminary discussions appear deadlocked about the future status of the 3m EU citizens in this country and of the 1.2m UK nationals in the EU. “The way to break the impasse is to unilaterally pass legislation to give proper status to EU nationals in this country and that will put pressure on other EU countries to do the same for our citizens,” he says with lawerly clarity.

Equally clearly, he says Labour will not vote against the triggering of Article 50 and, unlike, say, Tony Blair, he has no truck with a second referendum.

“We’ve had a referendum and we have to respect and accept the outcome,” he says, simply.

He was visiting County Durham yesterday to discuss Brexit with both party members and businesses. In Aycliffe, after visiting Hitachi he went to the small brewery, where the collapse of the pound is raking up costs. For example, the plastic kegs in which the beer travels in the post are made in Holland by a German company, and their price has risen nearly 50 per cent.

“Two very loud messages have come out of today from North-East businesses,” says Mr Starmer. “There’s no appetite for hard Brexit, there’s an appetite for certainty, and there’s a real concern that if we don’t have full access to the single market or pull out of the customs union, it will have affect their ability to do business.”

Full tariff-free access to the single market is Labour’s leading priority for Britain’s future relationship with Europe. “That top line resonates not only with what the trades unions want but with what business wants,” says Mr Starmer.

But that top line may not allow Britain to take complete control of its borders. “Freedom of movement and immigration were a major factor in the referendum – there was no denying that,” he says. “But the Government appears to have put immigration control as a higher priority than the economy. I think that’s a first in the history of this country.” He talks of the need to close the skills gap that is forcing companies to employ from overseas and of stopping less scrupulous companies from taking on EU workers to undercut local pay – sensible and long-term solutions but perhaps not as seductive to those who want a hardline Ukip approach.

For all Mr Starmer’s straightforwardness, he can’t bring himself to agree with Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell that Brexit also offers “enormous opportunities”.

“I have been speaking to businesses, unions and members of the public across the UK in the last two months or so and there is a resounding concern about the risks of Brexit,” he says, and the Liberal Democrats’ surprise victory in Richmond was a signal of that concern (although that’s Richmond in London rather than Richmond in North Yorkshire).

“The risks of hard Brexit are real damage to the economy and real job losses so I have been focussed on those real risks.”

The beers in Steam Machine are a potent brew – many of them are more than five per cent proof. Despite the wonderful heady, hoppy aroma, Mr Starmer has only a half before heading for a question and answer session in Darlington. His clear-headed sobriety may be needed to prevent the intoxicating euphoria of July 23’s independence day turning into a long hangover.