Thread by @Usherwood

Let's run through Johnson's reflections on Brexit and how he 'got it done'

1/
questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statem…

'Doing it' seems to refer primarily to achieving withdrawal from EU

TCA is mentioned, albeit gliding over all the things it stops in cooperation

The rest is about 'the opportunities'

2/

Those are:
- FTAs (which have almost all just been replacing ones that existed while EU members);
- freeports (which could have been done inside EU);
- agri/fish reforms (fair enough);
- immigration changes

3/

This last gets most space

ofc a 'points-based' system already existed for non-EU states before leaving EU, so all the examples listed could have been handled the same way

yes, controls now exist on EU nationals, but I leave it to others to discuss how that's going

4/

As for Rwanda, being inside EU would probably have further hindered viability of scheme, but equally being outside UK also has lost options in working w France on people smuggling

5/

And we can also note the absence of any mention of NIP problems, on-going issues over citizens' rights and the collapse of trust by the EU in British policy/intentions

6/

Overall, even given the freedom to write what he likes, Johnson comes up with a pretty thin package here, all resting on that operationalisation of the #EUref vote

/end