PM: Virus will not halt Brexit

Johnson must work with EU

BORIS JOHNSON was quick to refute any suggestion that the coronavirus outbreak might lead to the Government requesting to extend this year’s Brexit transition period with the European Union.

“That work has been continuing throughout and I expect it to carry on as planned – no change,” said a 10 Downing Street spokesman at the precise moment that Matt Hancock, the Health and Social Care Secretary, was becoming visibly worried by the rate at which the disease now appears to be taking hold.

Mr Johnson’s resolve will be welcomed by his core supporters as trade talks begin with the EU – it also sends out a strong message that the Tory leader is, unlike his much maligned predecessor Theresa May, entering negotiations from a position of political and electoral strength.

That does not necessarily justify – or excuse – some of the military metaphors that the Prime Minister, and others, are using with their clunky war-like phraseology which could, if Mr Johnson is not careful, lead to unnecessary panic.

As Prime Minister, he needs to be measured and reassuring. Actions need to speak louder than words – far more so than Mr Johnson’s continuing complacency over the floods that has not, to misquote his political hero Winston Churchill, been his finest hour.

But it also means the Government working alongside its EU partners – and others – to fight coronavirus and ensure that the most up-to-date information on the spread of the disease, and ways to mitigate its impact, are shared.

And this co-operation extends beyond this current threat. Irrespective of whether a trade deal is struck with the EU or not, this Government will need a constructive relationship with its European partners on a range of interests, from counter-terrorism to public health, that transcend geographical boundaries – or differences over Brexit.