After the long summer recess, it was back to school for Dominic Raab and Olly Robbins as they appeared together before the European Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday. The meeting couldn’t be described as ideal timing for either thanks to an unfortunate set of circumstances. With the government’s Brexit plan slammed by Brexiteers and Remainers alike, Raab and Robbins – the Government’s two most senior negotiators – had to defend a plan which has been heralded as less popular than the poll tax.
The second underlying tension of yesterday’s meeting was the tricky relationship between the Brexit Secretary and the PM’s Europe advisor. Only two weeks after Raab was appointed in July, Theresa May delivered a written statement to the Commons, saying that she would lead negotiations with the EU with Raab ‘deputising’. It confirmed a sentiment which had been lurking around Westminster: Olly Robbins is the boss.
In the committee meeting, neither could be described as a picture of calm.
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