Thread by @BBCkatyaadler

Chief UK negotiator David Frost was quick to react last night - objecting o EU leaders’ tougher-sounding-than-could-have-been formal conclusions to their #Brexit discussion but since when are politicians declarations taken without a pinch or two of salt? /1

EU leaders also play to their domestic gallery. This is the last stage of the trade negotiations. We’re poised ahead of the chapter of Big Compromises. Neither the U.K. nor the EU want to go first. Both want to signal to their home crowd that THEIR interests are being protected/2

Macron is focused on upcoming French presidential elections. His main rival: a nationalist eurosceptic. When he insists publicly about maintaining French fishing rights in UK waters because they didn’t choose #Brexit -his aim is to sound nationalist + show leaving EU is costly /3

Interesting to note that after EU leaders signed off on yesterday’s formal Brexit conclusions, they had a closed-door meeting with no mobile devices allowed. Of course they discussed possible compromises EU could make to reach a deal. We heard as much from Angela Merkel BUT /4

EU diplomats admit they’re trying to put UK under pressure. Are we surprised? The PM will no doubt make a tough-sounding statement of his own today. In negotiations each side naturally wants to get the maximum possible while giving the minimum away. That’s where we are now /5

Last thing EU wants is to add the political, practical and financial headache of no deal with the UK to their current public health and financial crisis provoked by #Covid They assume the PM feels the same way but EU believes he needs this trade deal more and so they squeeze.. /6