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Let’s remember how we got here. Many Tories who supported Boris Johnson believed his assurances that he wanted to get a deal with the EU. But over the five weeks since his election, his govt has done nothing of substance to engage. (Photo-ops with Merkel and Macron don’t count.)
If there had been any evidence that there were negotiations happening, it wd have been much more difficult to get MPs to block No Deal. EU also wd have supported govt narrative of positive progress in talks if the slightest reason to do so. EU wants to get this over with too.
But govt was clearly heading for No Deal by conscious choice and narrative of positive discussions with Merkel, Macron, Varadkar conspicuously not confirmed by other side. (Who, to repeat, have every incentive to find a deal and get it over with.)
Monday’s @pmdfoster report of Cummings describing process as a “sham” no doubt helped crystallise this for a few Tory MPs, but the cause of Johnson’s defeat was his own conscious choice not to keep his promise to work towards a deal when there was still time to do so.
