What Peter Mandelson still doesn’t understand about Brexit

On Tuesday evening at 11 pm, the chance for the UK to extend the Brexit transition with the EU expired. Britain and the EU must come to some sort of deal before the end of 2020 or what amounts to a no-deal Brexit will happen. What is interesting about this is how much a no-deal situation is still being underplayed by many in the government and other parts of the Westminster bubble. What is even more fascinating is the position of several key remainers on this point.

Lord Mandelson of Foy and Hartlepool has been doing media interviews this week, all as part of putting out his stall to become the UK candidate to be the next WTO director-general. The Labour peer says he’s been informally approached by the government to be our choice for the role. This is slightly odd in many respects but I suppose it is possible. Mandelson has the experience for the job and perhaps the government is thinking in terms of realpolitik; that Britain having one of its own countrymen in the top WTO job might be handy given the UK is now looking likely to be trading on WTO terms with the world in six months’ time.