Professor Patrick Minford, the chairman of Economists for Free Trade who hosted the event, said: "John Redwood's points on how the Government has slowed growth down were very interesting.

“A suspicious mind might think this was the deliberate act of a Remainer Chancellor to undermine Brexit and reduce confidence in a World Trade Deal.

"It is really time that the Chancellor both realises and acts on the economic benefits of Brexit, instead of following his officials’ gloomy views which condemn him to endless damaging austerity."

One former cabinet member at the dinner added: “It is almost as if they wanted to prove Project Fear right by slowing down growth. It’s amazing that we managed to get any growth at all.”

Another senior Tory Brexiteer said: “This certainly looks like the economy has been deliberately slowed down to undermine confidence in Brexit and going for a world trade deal instead.”