BEFORE it becomes an ingrained myth of ‘Brexit’, let’s dispel, or at any rate put into context, the claim that 75 per cent of young people voted to remain in the EU.

The figure came from an eve-of-result poll which gave Remain a four point victory – the reverse of what happened. So much for the poll’s reliability. But if you want to stick by that 75 per cent, or anything like it, you’ll also have to accept that the same poll calculated that just 43 per cent of the youngest age group, 18-24 year olds, voted. That’s far less than the 72 per cent overall.

Still, I’m happy enough to deal with the conclusion that has been widely drawn from the bloated estimate of support for Remain among the young. This is that that they are being denied their identity as Europeans, which some feel is stronger than their Britishness.

It’s generally accepted that the EU intends to make Britain’s Brexit negotiations as hard as possible, to discourage other nations from going down the same path. This acknowledges the deep unrest with the EU known to exist among the citizens of several nations of mainland Europe. These disillusioned millions would be no less European if their countries quit the EU. Why should Britons be different? To reject the EU is not to reject Europe. As a correspondent to this newspaper succinctly put it: Love Europe. Hate the EU.

Meanwhile, what is almost certainly another false impression – that a brick wall will bar Britain’s trade with Europe – is fuelling anxiety, among some, that we have made the wrong decision. For goodness sake – in the three months to April, the EU sold to us £24 billion worth of goods and services more than we sold to them. Logically, they should be courting us for a Brexit deal. For the same reason stated above – to discourage other potential leavers – the EU faces a headache in forging a deal that secures its trade with Britain without seeming to cave in to the Brits.

For us, arguably the biggest trade-deal problem is technical: we lack negotiators.

In itself this speaks volumes for our subservience to the EU, which controls virtually all our trade links. But the cavalry is coming.

New Zealand has offered its top trade negotiators, to “get Britain out of the starting blocks,” as one report puts it. Joined by Canada and Australia it has also expressed interest in direct trade talks.

Let us remember that Jean Claude Juncker, president of the EU Commission, branded Britain a “deserter” for Brexit. In times of crisis you discover who your real friends are.

TALKING of which, did you notice the good sense spoken by Andy Murray about Twitter? Its torrent of abuse, which should be stopped, has distressed some Wimbledon competitors. Andy ignores the site during tournaments, and he adds: “I think, when you have lost a difficult match, what is important is being around the people you like.

“They are the ones who are hurting with you and who really care about the result and make you feel better.”

Real maturity there. Let’s wish Andy good luck. And – tennis again aside – there’s another reason. His clean-shaven new look. Huge improvement.