Managing various parallel negotiating tracks at the same time will be a complex task, but it must be done.
The lack of an agreed border with Ireland makes “an Australian-style settlement” more unlikely than would otherwise be the case.
The Goverment will also “not accept nor agree to any obligations where our laws are aligned with the EU or the EU’s institutions” – including the Court of Justice.
At the very same time that the Government is orchestrating a comprehensive security and defence review, that comment will have caused grave concern.
Johnson must not fall for the myth that China is a coming global power, or that it won’t trade with Britain if the Government gets tough on human rights.
For the Protocol to work over the long-term, broad-based political consent for it must be gained then retained.
To make the most of the policy’s potential, Government must pair it with a raft of other reforms.
Their negotiating stance is often very aggressive and unyielding. They will seek to cause maximum damage at a critical time.
Harmonisation flies in the face of global trends towards equivalence rather than the highly legalistic regulatory formula favoured by the Union.
If the Government does not communicate what is involved on its own terms, and soon, it risks inspiring a new political insurgency.
Ministers have been asked to push the Government’s priorities – tackling crime, funding the NHS, “levelling up”. How can these be effected without faster growth?
Today I am launching a Free Trade Parliamentary Caucus, to help Parliamentarians learn about the topic – and to advocate for the policy.
“If we are brave…we can make a huge success of this venture for Britain, for our European friends and for the world”.
A WTO exit at the end of 2020 is not the probable outcome – but the risk does look under-priced.
Our scoping assessment shows there could be a £15.3 billion expansion in overall trade between the two countries, an 18 per cent increase on 2018 levels.