Boris all bark and no bite.. there is still hope of pact

BORIS Johnson had promised to walk away if he couldn’t get a Brexit deal by October 15.

That is the context for his bullish statement yesterday.

Strip away the bombast and the fact remains that Britain is still at the negotiating table and a deal is still possible.

With all talks of this nature, the closer you get to the deadline the more the shrill the rhetoric becomes. The Prime Minister’s John Bull act was a classic piece of brinkmanship.

It was aimed partly to cover up the fact he did not carry out his threat to pull stumps and partly to pressure the EU.

As it stands, talks between Britain and Brussels have not completely broken down.

It is still possible we could end up with a no-deal.

There has been no progress on the two main outstanding issues; fishing rights and the UK’s right to use the power of the state to support business.

But it is also clear neither side wants a no-deal. This is especially the case when all the nations involved have had their economies ravaged by Covid.

The best person to listen to is not our PM but German leader Angela Merkel.

To reach an agreement will require the UK and the EU to make compromises, she said.

That signals the talks have not reached a dead end and there is space for last-minute climbdowns by both sides.

Mr Johnson needs political cover if he is going to make further concessions.

And if you are going to roll over like a puppy, you must sound like a bulldog.