U.K. Politics: Nadine Dorries resigns her post as MP - or does she?

[Rihab]

I’m not a Boris fan, but that’s not true - he had a very successful career in politics for 20 years, has been Mayor of London and been a life long eurosceptic, writing about his distaste for the EU since the 1980s. He’d been one to watch for a long time before the nationalist wave you refer to, and only got the top job after 2017.

Being mayor is cute and all, but would he be PM today if it weren't for the 2015 Brexit vote? Probably not.

[Artoo]

Being mayor is cute and all, but would he be PM today if it weren't for the 2015 Brexit vote? Probably not.

If Brexit hasn’t happened and ‘Remain’ had won, David Cameron would never have stood down and the UK would not have had a general election until May 2020 at the end of the fixed term parliament.

Who knows what would have happened? If ‘Remain’ had won Brexit, the eurosceptics would have had no choice but to try and install one of their own as party leader in an attempt to control the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Based on Boris’ career trajectory, I think he would have ran for party leadership eventually and would have had a very good chance of winning a leadership contest in 2020 had Cameron lost the 2020 election.

Teresa May would probably have been considered too similar to Cameron to win, whereas I think Boris would have excelled in the theatrics of being Leader of The Opposition.

[Wayne]

Boris is off to Brussels to try and salvage something...

Boris Johnson is heading to Brussels on Wednesday for talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a post-Brexit trade deal.

The pair are under pressure to get an agreement before the UK stops following EU trading rules on 31 December.

The dinner meeting comes after intensive talks between EU and UK officials ended in deadlock.

Major disagreements remain on fishing rights, business competition rules and how a deal will be policed.

Mr Johnson will work through a list of the major sticking points with Mrs von der Leyen, who is representing the leaders of the 27 EU nations.

He will take part in Prime Minister's Questions before travelling to the Belgian capital. EU leaders are due to meet for a summit of their own on Thursday.

Chief UK negotiator Lord Frost said Wednesday evening's meeting would allow the two sides to "continue our discussions" over a future trade deal.

A UK government source said "political impetus" would be required if the talks are to make any more progress.

"If we can make progress at a political level, it may allow Lord Frost and his team to resume negotiations over the coming days," the source added.

EU sources told the BBC his EU counterpart Michel Barnier briefed the bloc's Europe ministers that talks were tilting towards no deal being reached before the deadline.

Earlier, Mr Johnson said he hoped the "power of sweet reason" will allow both sides to clinch an agreement before the end of the year.

If an agreement is not reached and ratified by this date, the UK and EU could introduce import charges on each other's goods.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55238783

[Artoo]

I get the feeling this is all for show and there’ll be a no deal...

[heppolo]

I get the feeling this is all for show and there’ll be a no deal...

I am almost certain about a no deal scenario. But then again, Boris is known for breaking all the rules

[Wayne]

Going well then...

[Artoo]

Time to stock up on the Brie

[Wayne]

A total disaster for both sides - this failure will hurt everyone involved and it’s through the sheer incompetence of our government for the most part.

[Artoo]

And yet, Teresa managed to get one.

[Wayne]

Bring Teresa back!

[stevyy]

it's been a farce from day 1. I wouldn't even blame the Orang Utan in office, but Mister Cameron.

[Rihab]

the sudden Teresa nostalgia

[Rihab]

2020 going out with a bang.

[Wayne]

Things are getting stupid now.

[jio]

The level-playing field is a serious obstacle as it is understandable that the UK would want serious flexibility on following EU rules (as this was the whole point of Brexit anyway) and on the other hand the EU would want the UK following EU rules as close as possible so as to ensure fair competition within the single market. I think here the solution should be some type of arbitration mechanism

The fishing thing is totally ridiculous. Of course the UK should have more sovereignty over its fishing rights, it's not EU seas anymore, why should anyone else have a natural right of access? The fact that France is pushing against this is economic nationalism at its very worst, me thinks

[aRat]

The absolute incompetence with this issue since day 1. All those years wasted (has it been half a decade?) just to end up with a no deal anyway.

[jio]

The absolute incompetence with issue since day 1. All those years wasted (has it been a decade?) just to end up with a no deal anyway.

Well, it's a common negotiating tactic to leave everything for the last moment so as to create pressure on your negotiating opponent. I would have been very surprised if this hadn't happened on the Brexit negotiations as well.

[Wayne]

Its all such a shambles!

[aRat]

Well, it's a common negotiating tactic to leave everything for the last moment so as to create pressure on your negotiating opponent. I would have been very surprised if this hadn't happened on the Brexit negotiations as well.

Well duh, this is all playing in EU's favor. I was talking about the UK being so incompetent and passive as to allow it to drag on for so many years only to end up empty handed anyway...

[aRat]

Its all such a shambles!

Johnson is a mini Trump anyway. Are we really suprised that he would be treated the same way as him?

[BeeBoy]

At this point I don't care. A bunch of children running countries. What's new?
Years to negotiate between what are supposed to be political allies and all they do is make a big fuss in who can drag this out longer. UK have the shorter end of the stick I hope Boris knows that anyway.

[Wayne]

UK have the shorter end of the stick I hope Boris knows that anyway.

We do, but not by much - it’s pretty bad for both sides if a deal isn’t struck (for e.g. a German think tank suggested that if no deal was reached, over 700,000 EU jobs would be lost and this would be at the worst possible time for all involved).

According to the BBC, the three main sticking points are:

We know, oh so well by now, the three main sticking points still in talks: EU fishing rights in UK waters; competition regulations for the UK to have that good access to the single market; and the governance of the deal - how to ensure both sides keep to the agreement or face punitive measures.

This tweet is essentially perfect:

[Artoo]

I was a remainer but I supported the outcome of the referendum and part of Brexit has always been a no-deal scenario. It doesn’t matter what the politicians said, a vote for Brexit was always a vote in favour of no-deal too.

Of course, politics has a short memory and it was only a year or so ago that parliament voted to reject a ‘no-deal’ Brexit, more or less at the same time it rejected the deal the government had with the EU.

We may have the short straw, but I don’t see it as a negative. Britain wanted Brexit, and now we have it - warts and all. I’m sick of not knowing what the future holds and at least a no-deal scenario gives us somewhere to start building from.

Because eventually, we will work something out. Maybe not today, nor next year, but even if it takes five years we will get there - I might be simplifying it, but as we go forward it might be easier to agree on individual issues, rather than an all encompassing deal. Leaders change, priorities alter and eventually there’ll be fresh minds tackling the problem. Something will eventually get sorted.

With COVID prices for almost everything we’re going to increase. Now they’ll add a few more pennies and we’ll have to cope.

However, as someone that doesn’t eat fish, I can’t believe grown men and women are arguing over sodding trout.

[Wayne]

Boris finally realising that all of the dirty tricks and rhetoric he has peddled will not justify a no-deal - back to the negotiating table he goes!

[Artoo]

I get the feeling this is the real reason why he flew to Brussels on Wednesday - to secure an extension.