Wearing a shamrock poppy badge in his lapel, David Lidington, effectively Theresa May’s deputy prime minister, was equally at ease parrying questions on Brexit and dealing with Northern Ireland issues. He pronounced Simon Coveney’s title “tanaiste” perfectly, in contrast with northern secretary Karen Bradley’s “tawnishdee”. Lidington also confidently slipped in the neutral term “Derry/Londonderry” when referring to Northern Ireland’s second city. At the press conference on November 2, Lidington was pressed on whether a Brexit deal could emerge from May’s cabinet meeting last week. “I’ve been in…

Source: The Times November 11, 2018 00:04 UTC