Thread by @NashSGC

This leaked briefing from government is extraordinary, not because it is littered with threats directed at countries that are still our neighbours, allies & closest trading partners, but because of how desperate it sounds. #Brexit

I disagree with @Peston that this will have serious diplomatic repercussions. Sadly, the EU have become used to this type of behaviour from the UK government. #Brexit

https://twitter.com/peston/status/1181334412698497024?s=21

From the not so subtle threat to remove security cooperation that was in Theresa May’s Art 50 letter, to the ridiculous Soviet Union comments made by Jeremy Hunt at the ‘18 conference, the EU has seen it all. I suspect this brief might elicit little more than a shrug. #Brexit

So it won’t move the dial on the negotiations at all. In threatening Member States & offering Trumpian like queue jumping govt is, to steal a phrase @davidhenigUK has used a lot recently, throwing weight around that it doesn’t have.

https://twitter.com/davidheniguk/status/1180052531537428480?s=21

Govt. probably know this, and the brief is really about rallying the base. In which case, it will probably do its job. If govt genuinely believe this will move the negotiations forward, then heaven help us. #Brexit

One final observation. The brief says that govt. will wash its hands of the extension. That’s hard to do if Johnson signs the extension letter (this is the outcome Farage is dreaming of). This can, I think, only mean two things...
#Brexit

1. Govt. are gearing up for a court case. 2. They’re gearing up for a vote of no-confidence and an interim PM being put in place to request an extension. Both outcomes probably work for them, but the repercussions are serious. #Brexit

A court case once again puts judges in the political fray, and if the outcome is to make the Cabinet Secretary request the extension, cld do serious damage to the reputation of the civil service in the minds of some voters (that damage may have already been done). #Brexit

Ousting the PM, and replacing him with an interim PM, will allow Johnson to further vilify Parliament, and further undermine the reputation of the institution (not just those MPs that occupy it). #Brexit

Neither of these outcomes will help strengthen the UK’s already fragile constitutional settlement. #Brexit