This familiar “Senior No 10 source” presumably thinks that if you point a gun at someone, grab their wallet and shout “this is NOT a robbery!” then you have ingeniously thwarted the statutory prohibition against robbery.
This is the same legal genius who floated the idea of sending a second letter asking the EU to ignore the first letter requesting an extension, until he was temporarily put back in his box by everyone who had ever had any dealings with any court ever.
Like Trump, their downfall is in their inability to keep their mouths shut. In reality, Johnson could send the letter and give private indications to the EU that granting an extension would be pointless. But like the worst panto villain, they have to boast about their evil plan.
