Since last year's EU Referendum, the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, has been no friend of Brexit. He has always been uneasy with the Prime Minister's "hard" EU exit, which would witness the UK pull out of the trading bloc's Single Market and Customs Union entirely.
The Chancellor has always preferred a "soft" Brexit approach, resulting in Britain remaining a member of the Single Market and the Customs Union until the Government has been able to negotiate a free trade deal with the EU. After failing to achieve the majority she wanted at this year's general election, Theresa May has been forced to adopt this approach.
Her recent Florence Speech demonstrated that. And she is bound by MPs who predominantly supported the UK's EU membership during last year's referendum. She no longer has the parliamentary arithmetic to force Brussels to listen to her.
Mr. Hammond sounded rather more upbeat about Brexit than he usually does
Yet today, Mr. Hammond sounded rather more upbeat about Brexit than he usually does. He even borrowed the infamous phrase from Vote Leave, the group that campaigned during last year's referendum to end the UK's EU membership, to "take back control" from Brussels. He finally admitted that he respects that result and that it is his Government's job to implement it whilst protecting jobs. There is no doubt he is still cautious and worried about the process, but he was right to highlight that there are many opportunities for the UK if it achieves the right trade deal with the EU.
It is encouraging to witness this sense of unity among the Cabinet. Some cynical commentators may argue it is an act to demonstrate a united front during a party conference packed with angry volunteers. But if the Chancellor can be consistent in his approach, there is no reason to believe he cannot finally unite behind the Prime Minister, which is what he urged activists to do.
The Chancellor must continue to be positive about Brexit. It is, as he said, an exciting opportunity. He must not manipulate the Prime Minister's diminished majority to skewer this process.
