The European Council conclusions issued last Thursday were a misstep by the European Union. It is positively Carthaginian to think that in a negotiation all the concessions have to come from one side. As I say in the magazine this week, No. 10 has seized on this overreach to push, not only for concessions on the process — Michel Barnier has offered to ‘intensify’ the talks and start working on a legal text, a long-time British ask — but also a recognition that both sides will have to compromise.
The Prime Minister’s appetite for risk is greater than most of his cabinet ministers
Barnier offered that in a speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday. He and Frost spoke yesterday and the talks will resume this afternoon with the sides working towards a joint legal text. But this won’t be the end of the drama. No. 10 is always inclined to ratchet up the tension in any given scenario.
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