George Eustice says departure of PM’s top aide will have no particular impact on negotiationsThe UK environment secretary, George Eustice, has denied that the departure of Dominic Cummings – one of the architects of Vote Leave – will have any impact on Brexit negotiations. As the Brexit deal deadline approaches, Eustice sought to downplay Cummings’ exit from No 10 by arguing it would not alter discussions with Brussels as UK negotiations are led by David Frost. The prime minister has to have a team around him that he’s comfortable with, that works well to get the right balance. And I see no end to this factional fighting because you’ve got a soft Brexit faction, a hard Brexit faction, you’ve got a libertarian faction in relation to health restrictions, a communitarian faction, you’ve got a northern faction wanting spending rising, a southern faction wanting spending cuts, you’ve got a devolution faction and a centralisation faction. I think he’s made up his mind already that he’s going to get a settlement and there will be a settlement soon, I think.”

Source: The Guardian November 15, 2020 11:31 UTC