This point needs to be made more often inside the UK since it is crucial. The deadline for a deal is not October 17, it is well before that, since a legally binding treaty is needed by October 17, not some vague aspirational language.
The EU Council will presumably discuss Brexit, but this will be the 27 remaining members meeting as they have done before behind closed doors -- they certainly won't be negotiating with Johnson at the Council since it is Barnier who does that.
And what will the 27 be doing behind closed doors? Presumably deciding whether or not to approve any amended deal that has been agreed between HMG and Barnier *before* the Council. And they may also be discussing a common position to be adopted in the event of a no-Deal Brexit.
Can the opposition and the media please point all this out publicly and repeatedly so that we can have a more informed debate about what happens next?
