Oh, Nigel, I remember you chastising Jim for not getting the joke you made about answering a question with a question. Surely you are not suggesting that you did not understand the irony in Steve's statement.
I'm glad you can see irony in it.
Steve has a history of withdrawing comments at a later date, or claiming they were 'whimsy'.
Is his describing me as a 'tory brexiteer' also irony?
If not, how can you decide what his intended meaning was?

And I'm no-ones apprentice. (or was that also meant to be ironic?)