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Boris Johnson remains the “toughest in the room” in his unwillingness to compromise to secure a Brexit deal, government sources said this weekend, amid warnings that there are only days left to finalize a deal.
After a steamy week for Downing Street in which two former Vote Leave figures resigned from the prime minister’s senior team, ministers in favor of a deal said they hoped their departures would increase the chances of finally signing an EU trade deal. after months of risky.
However, sources familiar with the government’s deliberations said that, in repeated meetings, it had been the prime minister himself who had been the hard line in wanting to wait for better terms. They said the departure of Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s senior adviser, and Lee Cain, his communications chief, would not change the fact that Johnson himself remained determined and difficult to interpret.
“The prime minister is always the toughest in the room on Brexit, more so than perhaps other ministers and advisers,” said a Whitehall source. Another insider said they “still had hope for a deal,” but there was a willingness among cabinet ministers to back the prime minister should he decide on a no-deal outcome.
“To be frank, this is an issue where the cabinet is completely united, like no other policy,” said a person familiar with the deliberations. “[After the election], the prime minister has a lot of political capital in this. “
It comes ahead of a week in which Johnson faces a mammoth decision on whether or not to back a Brexit deal that will inevitably require compromises from Britain. Senior figures like Michael Gove, the minister in the cabinet office overseeing Brexit preparations, and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, are said to be advocating for a deal.
While progress has been made, persistent problems have arisen around fishing rights and level playing field rules that can prevent Britain from using state aid in any way it wishes. There are also outstanding questions about so-called “regression clauses” that would prevent the UK from undercutting the EU in some areas. The talks continue on Monday, with a potential deadline set for a video conference of EU leaders on Thursday.
However, there are also enormous political pressures on Johnson, and some fear that any sign of Brexit compromise will create another opportunity for Nigel Farage and his new Reform UK party. Farage has said that he has already received more than 3,000 expressions of interest from supporters about the possibility of running for the party in generalized local elections next year. However, the party is currently focusing its campaign on opposing the government’s blockade measures.
The pro-Brexit donors who funded Johnson’s leadership campaign are also getting nervous about the government’s direction. “It was amazing, actually. I have never seen a government that has been less in contact with any of its fingers, any of its limbs, ”said one donor. “It is the end of the scholarship. The fact is [Cummings and Cain] they leave before the end, which tells you they aren’t going to get the deal they want. Boris is now in a difficult place, as he wants to negotiate at any price. “
Downing Street denies that the exits mean that a Brexit deal and a compromise with the EU are now more likely.
The donor added: “I would go [from Brexit talks]. There’s not much to lose by doing that, given that the deal on offer is essentially for the traded goods sector only. Still, it does nothing for our great service sector. “
