PM Boris Johnson will fly to Brussels later today in order to salvage Brexit trade deals before the new year. This comes with a high amount of pressure, as he needs to come to an agreement before the UK stop trading under EU trading rules on December 31st.
Boris will be attending dinner with Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President. Boris admitted that it will be ‘tricky’ and vowed to push talks ‘to the wire’ in a speech yesterday.
Camilla Tominey, Associate Editor of the Telegraph, said that “people close to the action are saying there is a 50:50 chance of securing an agreement”.
The three possible scenarios
1. hero deal
Boris comes back with a deal that pleases both his party and the public.
2. Indifferent deal
Neither a good nor a bad Brexit deal. This deal will be easily criticised and will show Boris to be a weak leader.
3. walking away from negotiations
Failing to make a deal. Boris would have failed what he set out in the Tory manifesto “get Brexit done”.
boris under political threat
This deal poses a threat to Boris politically. He needs to return to the UK with a deal that the Tory MPs can support. Therefore, it needs to be a deal that shows Brussels have surrendered to some of the UK’s demands.
Boris was elected on the Conservative manifesto pledge that he would “get Brexit done”. Additionally, he promised a deal that would result in a clean break away from the EU. If he fails to deliver a solid Brexit deal that is well received by his party and the public, his position as Prime Minister is at risk, as the UK will lose faith.
He will either return as a hero or a failure. Let’s hope Boris doesn’t mess this one up.
