Johnson's race for trade deal strengthens EU hand
Over and over again in this election campaign you hear supporters of Boris Johnson confidently asserting that "he did it with the Brexit deal: he got the EU to renegotiate when most people said it'd be impossible. Except, it seems to be overlooked that Prime Minister Johnson did not charm or bully or manipulate the EU into reopening the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and changing the infamous backstop for the Irish border. It was only by breaking a deep red line of his, very late on in the negotiations, that EU leaders wholeheartedly agreed to a "new" Brexit deal (that in reality was almost identical to the one negotiated by Theresa May). If you remember, Mr Johnson had pledged never to allow a post-Brexit division between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Boris Johnson's divorce deal introduces a customs barrier down the Irish Sea. A barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Something Mr Johnson h...