Boris Johnson should get Brexit done as he promised and not bend under EU pressure
THE Cabinet meeting on Tuesday brought home to ministers how different a world they are now operating in.
Previously, in weeks where Brexit legislation was before the Commons, discussion was dominated by whether or not the Government had the numbers to win the vote and how it should respond if it did not.
This time there was barely a mention of Brexit despite the votes on it this week. (The Withdrawal Agreement Bill duly passed the Commons with a comfortable 99 vote majority on Thursday).
Pretty much all Boris Johnson had to say on the matter was to urge ministers to, “banish Brexit”, from their lexicons after January 31, when the UK leaves the EU.
Boris wants ministers to stop talking about Brexit once the UK has left as he doesn’t want the trade negotiations with the EU to dominate British politics in the way that leaving has since the referendum. He wants to show voters that the country has moved on and the Government is once more focusing on the domestic issues voters care about.
But however much he tries, it will be hard to make these talks boring. They are important and there is already DRAMA BREWING.
Boris saw the new Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Downing Street this week. The pair got on well in their hour-long meeting. They both want these talks to be less acrimonious than the divorce negotiations; both want a more cordial tone.
The pair reminisced about the school they had both attended in Brussels. Unlike Eton, it didn’t have playing fields, and until Johnson arrived the only game in the playground was marbles. He introduced some more rough and tumble.
DETERMINED TO DELIVER
No10 were pleased that von der Leyen, rather than the more confrontational Michel Barnier, took the lead. As one No10 source points out, the EU loathed the lack of clarity and authority under Theresa May: She wasn’t clear what she wanted and it wasn’t certain that she could deliver what she wanted.
With Boris and his new majority it is very different. He was able to point von der Leyen to the Tory manifesto’s commitments on the future trade deal and say this was his mandate and that he was determined to deliver it.
Yet despite the pair’s attempt to maintain a friendly tone, there are already tensions. Boris is irritated that the EU keeps saying it is nigh-on impossible to negotiate a full trade deal by December 2020, despite having signed up to a political declaration that commits it to trying to do just that.
The DANGER is that the EU thinks that under time pressure Boris will bend, that he will either extend the transition period — something he has repeatedly promised not to do — or drop his commitment to breaking away from EU rules and regulations.
Boris is determined not to do either of these things. He doesn’t want to extend and believes in the value of the UK having the right to do things differently.
Both sides have frequently misunderstood each other in this process. Both sides must now realise that the other means what it says. Unless they do, there is going to be an almighty bust-up and no trade deal at the end of all this.
Huawei cause all this 5G turmoil?
THERE will be a National Security Council meeting later this month to decide whether or not to allow the Chinese company Huawei to be involved in the construction of the UK’s 5G network.
This is an issue of fierce debate in Whitehall. Under Theresa May, it led to the then Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson’s sacking from government.
Hawkish figures inside government fear No10 is leaning towards allowing Huawei’s involvement. One complains that Downing Street’s timetable for the technology’s roll-out is, “not realistic”, but that this time pressure means it will need Huawei involved. However, I understand that the Americans are pushing very hard for the UK to bar Huawei.
One senior US government national security figure has been in London this week to lobby directly on this point.
Before he makes a decision on Huawei, Boris Johnson should consider the damage it could do to Britain’s most important security relationship – the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing agreement with Australia, Canada, the US and New Zealand.
Even if the UK thinks it can manage Huawei’s involvement, if our allies do not then we shouldn’t proceed. It is simply not worth the risk of undermining such a vital alliance.
Celeb status
BORIS Johnson has always been less worried about how voters perceive his background than David Cameron was.
This explains why he had his New Year break in the luxury, celeb-heavy Caribbean resort of Mustique.
Don’t expect his approach to change. His holidays will be far more glam than Cameron and May’s were.
Budget day love-in for Sajid and Boris
THE most common reason British governments fail is that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor fall out.
If No10 and the Treasury – the most powerful department in government – aren’t on the same page, nothing gets done.
Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid are determined to avoid this fate. In the run-up to the Budget on March 11, there will be a huge effort to make sure that the Treasury and No10 work together.
One Johnson ally tells me the two men will have a Budget-focused meeting at the start of each week to make sure they are in agreement on the key issues.
Then their teams will meet again mid-week to assess progress. Javid, whose job is safe in the coming reshuffle, is determined to show that the Treasury is capable of delivering on Boris Johnson’s agenda of levelling up across the country.
Those close to him are confident that they can put meat on the bones of No10’s plan.
Chance to show post-Brexit growth
AT Cabinet this week it was impressed on ministers that one of the most important events this year is COP26, the climate change conference the UK is hosting in Glasgow in November.
The UK Government wants to use the event to show how Britain can lead on clean growth post-Brexit.
I understand there will be a steady drum beat of announcements on this front throughout the year: The Tories want to show they are helping create new green-collar jobs.
They also hope that by holding the event in Scotland, they can emphasise the benefits of the Union.
Nandy is looking handy
THE Labour leadership contest has yet to catch fire.
The Tories are not particularly concerned about any of the candidates.
Though there is some hesitation about how they would handle PMQs with Jess Phillips, who likes to make very personal attacks on Boris Johnson.
MOST READ IN OPINION
But the most interesting candidate in the race is Lisa Nandy.
She seems to have the clearest understanding of why Labour lost.
Her bid is starting to have faint echoes of David Cameron’s successful tilt at the Tory leadership in 2005.
- James Forsyth is political editor of The Spectator.
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