Thread by @lewis_goodall

For the first time an election might actually work as a means to solve the Brexit crisis. At last, both main parties have serious, credible Brexit policies from which voters can choose. It’s time we accepted the inevitable and fast. My #skyviews news.sky.com/story/sky-view…

For remainers who think you have the govt exactly where you want them, that you can inflict defeat after defeat. Think again. Your position of strength is in fact one of ultimate weakness. The deal has its own inevitable gravity. Without an election, it will eventually pass.

Even if the election results in a hung parliament, it will have a better chance of ending the impasse than this one. Whipless MPs will be replaced with new ones signed up to their party’s approach. Parties will be more unified and act as blocs more than they do now.

And if Labour is worried about going for an election now consider the alternative: A deal which, in the end, after more drift, gets passed. Johnson gets a bounce for a spring election, Lab gets blame for Brexit delay from Tories and for not doing enough to stop it from Lib Dems.

In other words, it is absolutely and completely in Labour’s interests to have an election before Brexit is completed. This is probably the last moment to ensure that.

Tories meanwhile go into an election a) united b) as the deal party. Boris Johnson’s cachet as a Brexiter has, in public terms at least, removed no deal as a serious option for the Tories. For all the mistakes, these are the signature political achievements of his premiership.

On this, v interesting piece which says that the public actually want a general election, those who don’t are (generally) politicians and political journalists who think the public don’t either.

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpol…

But they generally think that because feeling is whole public is like “Brenda from Bristol”. In fact the data suggests they’re not. Apathy no longer the problem it used to be. People want their say.

Border force official at Home Affairs Select Committee says there will be checks from GB to NI but says access to NI to GB will be “unfettered”. That isn’t what Barclay said. Priti Patel says she will “seek clarification” and talk to HMRC “this afternoon.”

.@SDoughtyMP to Patel: “you don’t know what you’re doing do you?”

Basically, different bits of govt are saying completely different things about NI/GB- GB/NI checks. Brexit Sec one thing, Border Force another, PM something else, Home Sec doesn’t know at all and having to find out.

This confusion is over how trade will work in our own country.