As Theresa May attempts to keep her party on side over the terms agreed in stage one of the government’s Brexit negotiations, leading Brexiteers have been sent out to praise the deal so far. Michael Gove began the day on the Today programme – praising the Prime Minister – and Steve Baker has been tweeting his support. Keen to prove that the Foreign Secretary is behind May’s plan, the Chief Whip thought it would be helpful to share picture of the two meeting in the early hours ahead of May flying to Brussels. By doing this there is an implication that Johnson must be signed up to May’s plan – along with a promise for ‘full alignment’ with the customs union and single market if no other solution to the Irish border problem is found.
However, given that Johnson is the loudest voice in Cabinet when it comes to fighting for divergence in Britain’s future trade relationship, he couldn’t help but resist a helpful reply of his own – telling Lewis what he found May to take it to mean: ‘full alignment’ compatible with taking back control.
1:0 to Boris…
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