Here's a quick take on the Johnson-Merkel call:
EU sources say the tone of the call as reported seems questionable: normally govt sources characterise their own position in a leader-to-leader call (ie Johnson's), ie unusual for Number 10 to describe what Merkel said
EU sources say the tone of the call as reported seems questionable: normally govt sources characterise their own position in a leader-to-leader call (ie Johnson's), ie unusual for Number 10 to describe what Merkel said
2/ Also, the tone is extremely unlike Merkel, who tends to be diplomatic to a fault, ie it wd be completly out of character for her to tell the UK that NI had to remain in the customs union
3/ So view of one senior EU source is that Downing Street is collapsing the scrum on the basis that everything now shifts to a No Deal election.
4/ "It sounds like Number 10 are engaged in the calculation that it’s in their interest for that to happen early, rather than late. You wouldn’t be briefing something like that otherwise," says source.
5/ The Johnson-Merkel phone call briefing would therefore be seen in conjunction with the Spectator "text message" story, which source says reads more like a press release rather than an actual text message...
6/ Source says both developments could be designed to heap pressure on member states, threatening a No Deal election to see if they can get a snap change of mandate from the European Council, ie going above the head of the Commission, injecting more drama.
7/ All told, source believes Downing St is getting their retaliation in first. Talks were clearly going badly anyway, but view in Brussels is that Downing St has decided to get the blame game started now rather than later
