From the flurry of joint op-eds from Cabinet Ministers today, you might be forgiven for thinking that the Chequers deal is the deal. But, of course, it is not. Rather, it is the UK’s government opening position in the negotiation on the future relationship. So, logically, you would expect the government to have to make more concessions.
The problem for the ministerial Brexiteers is that what the EU is likely to demand will make the deal much more difficult to defend. Take, for instance, parliament’s role in having to pass any changes to the so-called ‘common rulebook’ between the UK and the EU. Number 10 likes to talk about this as a ‘parliamentary lock’ on any changes that could be detrimental to the UK. On Marr this morning, Michael Gove was emphasising how this provision would allow the UK to diverge in future in areas where it was in the UK’s interest to do so.
But the problem is that if the EU is prepared to engage with May’s plan, it will–almost certainly–want a guillotine clause in the deal.
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