Number 10 have long been convinced that if they could talk to the member states, rather than the Commission, they’d have a better chance of getting a reasonable Brexit deal. So, the Salzburg meeting on the 20th of September, where May will get to speak to the leaders of the EU27 directly, has taken on huge importance.
But, as I say in the magazine this week, while the heads of government might be more understanding of May’s political predicament, they still won’t accept her Chequers plan. Rather, they’ll—at best—push for further concessions from her.
What May must decide over the summer, is what she’ll do when they ask for this. The remaining Brexiteers in her Cabinet take the view that Chequers mustn’t be seen as merely an opening offer.
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