Thread by @pmdfoster

So these are main new changes to agreed mandate for EU side in upcoming trade talks...key new point is “EU standards as reference point”. What does it mean? 1/short thread

For ease of reference, you can see the additional sentences on "reference point" has been added since the draft that was floating around last week. /2

The EU point is that WHERE the UK wishes to maintain a close relationship with EU, then it can do so by benchmarking UK standards to EU standards - though it can find 'British' ways of doing this. A kind of equivalence of outcomes. Is that helpful? /3

Well, recall that in his Greenwich speech, beyond all the bluster, @BorisJohnson signalled that in a lot of areas, UK would not look to undermine or engage in 'dumping', so in many areas we'd remain with equivalent regimes /4

gov.uk/government/spe…

BUT at the same time, the EU is putting down a clear marker - that it's standards will set the benchmark. The EU standards will exist entirely autonomously. The UK can follow - the EU isn't going to get into a negotiation - the old "autonomy of decision-making" chestnut /5

So it's not exactly 'dynamic' alignment - ie sucking up EU rules directly - but it's only a notch below that IF the UK (as Johnson seems to indicate) wants forge the "thriving trade and economic relationship with the EU" he mentioned. /6

Suspect that will all feel like manacles/handcuffs to the ideological Brexiteers, but this is (opening EU bid of course) the foundation on which the EU wants to map out those bits of EU-UK partnership where we want to stay in step - like environment say? /7

Of course, the EU also wants a dispute settlement sytem that allows it "to apply autonomous, including interim, measures to react quickly to disruptions of the equal conditions of competition in relevant areas, with Union standards as a reference point." So a gun to UK heads? /8

Doesnt fit with the footloose agenda being sold by No 10 at the moment - but the 'divergence' agenda has never really been set against the true costs of achieving it.

The EU hopes a time may come when this LPF 'offer' feels like a safe port in an autumn storm. We'll see/ENDS