If anyone in Westminster doubted it before, Wednesday’s draft treaty text demonstrated that Brexit is going to happen on the EU’s terms and Brussels is quite prepared to play hard ball to make sure that happens. Forget the complex details; the EU effectively told the UK to sort out the mess created by Brexit and, if Britain couldn’t do so, then Brussels would. There will be no more having your cake and eating it. The myth, propagated by hardline Brexiteers, that the UK can cut trade deals with the rest of the world while still having unrestricted access to the single market has been nailed. The EU has made it clear that, if the UK is insistent on leaving the customs union and the single…

Source: The Times March 02, 2018 00:00 UTC