For anyone who hoped that David Davis and Boris Johnson’s departures from the British cabinet might have cleared the way for a breakthrough in Brexit talks, the past week was disappointing. Dominic Raab, who replaced Mr Davis, a fellow Brexiteer, as Brexit secretary, said that any backstop to prevent the return of a hard Irish border should be time-limited and would have to apply to the whole of the UK, not just Northern Ireland. The EU had already rejected both proposals and Michel Barnier, its chief negotiator, did so again at a joint press conference with the new minister in Brussels. Mr Raab said that he had travelled there with the phrase “let’s get on with it” ringing in his ears. Until recently, a sense…

Source: The Times July 29, 2018 22:52 UTC