Is ‘Brexit talks stalling’ no more than Downing Street bluffing?

THE phrase, under promise and over-deliver is not one Boris Johnson and his government seem terribly familiar with. In politics it is not unusual to promise the earth and deliver something a great deal less impressive; but natural exuberance has turned making big and sometimes rash promises into something of a stock-in-trade for Mr Johnson in the first year of his tenure as Prime Minister.

Admittedly we have all sometimes needed a bit of good news; but when it is delivered, only for reality to kick in a few days or weeks later and remind us of how bad things really are, it can make things worse. So we have had world-beating test and trace systems which turned out to be anything but and promises that the pandemic would be “over by Christmas” that proved well wide of the mark.

Is it possible, however, that on a subject upon which Mr Johnson feels far more confident – Brexit – the Government has learned a few lessons? At time of writing – and this is a fast-moving situation – Downing Street was playing down hopes of a Brexit deal in the coming days, warning that the talks were at a “very difficult point” and that “time was ticking.”

If that’s true and we are about to crash out of the EU with all trade taking place from January 1 on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms then it will, indeed, be a blow for many businesses, including scores here in the South West. But, given the degree of importance all sides – not least the nation states inside the EU – have put on gaining a deal, could this be No 10 bluffing, in order to pull something that looks very like a rabbit out of the hat, and impress us all within the next few days?

We should take nothing for granted. But it has been clear for some time that Germany, in particular is very keen to do a deal; that the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier has been expressing high hopes for several days and that businesses in Europe – if not the continent’s politicians – are extremely keen to secure a sensible set of trading arrangements with the UK and its 60-plus million potential customers.

Despite optimism in the week that the prospect of a deal was on the horizon, progress appeared to stall on Thursday, with a senior UK Government source claiming Brussels was calling for fresh concessions at the 11th hour and that the prospect of an agreement was “receding”.

Speaking yesterday, a spokesman for Boris Johnson said: “We are committed to working hard to try and reach an agreement with the EU and the talks are ongoing. There are still some issues to overcome. Time is in very short supply and we are at a very difficult point in the talks.

“What is certain is we will not be able to agree a deal that doesn’t respect our fundamental principles on sovereignty, fishing and control. Our negotiating team is working extremely hard in order to bridge the gaps that remain.”

If that is an attempt by Downing Street to make us all feel a little bit gloomy when it knows a deal is all but ready for signing then we should allow them their chance of a big and upbeat reveal which shows they have learned to play a more canny game. Watch this space.