There are 3 sources I look to for real news on Brexit:
Jennifer Rankin@ Guardian, Peter Ludlow @ Eurocomment, and the FT.
Mr Ludlow has produced another pre-summit Briefing gem.
Some interesting observations for me are:
- The UK-EU trade agreement will be ready the mid 2020s at the earliest.
- By which time, many of those currently involved in the process in London and in EU 27 will be politically, if not physically, long since dead.
- Germany and France are united and take a hawkish position.
- The UK has to comply with the EU Trade Policy for the 2 year transition (so no new trade deals for 2 years)
- Phase 2 can only start when the UK provides clear guidance on the post transition relationship.
- Negotiations in the second phase can only progress as long as all commitments undertaken during the first phase are respected in full and translated faithfully into legal terms as quickly as possible.
Let’s hope that David Davis starts to negotiate in good faith and read his papers.