A Number 10 source on PM call with Germany’s Merkel: “If this represents a new established position, then it means a deal is essentially impossible not just now but ever. It also made clear that they are willing to torpedo the Good Friday Agreement.’
This is being called a clarifying moment by No10 and it certainly feels like a big shift is happening right now - hopes for a deal seem even slimmer than ever this morning.
Note the tone of that quote from Number 10 - not just that a deal is tricky now, but that it is “essentially impossible not just now but ever”.
