Chequers was dead on arrival. So much political capital expended pointlessly. Remember though no FTA without a Northern Ireland solution. That conundrum has not been answered in 2 years, it isn't likely to be answered by November either.
Realistic folk in the Commission and UK government know that over any realistic time period a UK without a close relationship with the EU will require hard borders. Imagining otherwise is naive. So current negotiation - NI v UK backstop (in effect).
Over time (5+ years) and with goodwill you could imagine constructing a better deal. As @davidallengreen reminded us yesterday, he previously predicted politicians will soon say "if only we had more time". Article 50 was not written to be ever used.
