Could Boris charm the EU in Brexit negotiations?

The penny has finally dropped here in Berlin. After the Brexit party’s success in the European elections – and several missed Brexit deadlines later – most Germans are slowly realising that Brexit will happen. There are some who still hope that the offer of a new Brexit extension – as Ursula von der Leyen has indicated might be on offer – could mean a second referendum, or revocation of Article 50. But fewer now believe either of those remain realistic possibilities. And with Boris Johnson likely to be in Downing Street by tomorrow, these options become harder still to imagine.

One leader of the pro-EU movement here – who has been protesting relentlessly against Brexit – told me that he has now changed his mind: “Brexit needs to happen asap and then they can come back later”. Several leading politicians in Berlin have told me the same.

So what explains this change in thinking? First, there is an increasing realisation in Berlin that the Brexit limbo is proving damaging to both sides, both economically and politically.